Outai
by Outai Tabibito
Summary: This is a story of my own that I wrote, based on my RPC. There are no actual game, anime, or manga characters in this, aside from a reference to Full Metal Alchemist. This story is published on my website, which, sadly, does not get many visitors.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was in utter chaos. The screams of not only women and children, but also of men themselves could be heard everywhere. What had once been a beautiful and prosperous Utopian society had been reduced to war, murder, and violence in the short span of a day. Everyone had been preparing for the prophesied day - the day which evil would consume the minds of the people of that world, and turn them against each other - but no one was prepared for this. Though all had heard the prophesy that, One day a great evil shall come, and the redemption of the world will be the responsibility of a child. No one had expected it to come this way.

On this planet, you see, there existed several divided and yet unified nations - Ice, Wind, Fire, Wood, Metal, Water, Psyche, Earth, Darkness, Light, and Elemental. Each nation was home to creatures with their respective psychokinetic abilities. Ice nation gave birth to Ice users. Fire nation was home to Fire users. Psyche nation was home to those of various psychokinetic abilities with no element to them, such as those who could make barriers or illusions, or were stronger than others with telepathy and telekinesis. The Elemental nation was the most unique, and at the same time, the most unoriginal. The Elemental nation was home to those who had skills in EVERY psychokinetic ability, though unlike other nations, had not mastered any of them.

This world, which would otherwise be in constant war with itself because of such differing abilities, was more like a utopia. Everyone got along with each other, and did what they could to keep themselves, each other, and the planet healthy. All the peace and prosperity of the universe could not match it, and it was all because of a single crystal that housed a powerful spirit known only as 'Holy'. This spirit passed on wisdom that brought peace and prosperity, and blessed the land and it's inhabitants with it's power, completely annihilating such things as anger, hatred, fear, animosity, jealousy, greed, and sadness.

Through time it was discovered that certain people could actually communicate with this spirit to different degrees. Those that could were the priests and priestesses that would act as messengers for both sides, and use the power that Holy would lend to them to assist others. However, Holy had made a prediction one day, and passed it to it's followers so that they would be wary for when the day came. This prediction - that a great evil would come to destroy the world, and that only a child would be able to save it - was heeded well. A worldwide militia was set up and trained, and the knowledge passed down through generations, so that when the evil came, it would not conquer them. Meanwhile, as a militia was formed, the people were introduced to advanced sciences to further protect them for when the evil came. These sciences were far advanced, allowing them to not only heal, but also make a means of escape, should the worst happen.

It started the previous day, which, as usual for that season, had been sunny and warm. While those of the nation of Ice did not particularly enjoy the warmth, as those of the Fire nation had, all appreciated the beauty that sunlight seemed to bring out of the local flora and fauna. Exotic flowers that carpeted the lands in all the colors of the visible light spectrum gave it an almost ethereal effect when the light of the sun shone on them. Everything seemed full of life. Yet such beauty and peace was the average day on this world. However, in the course of the day which consisted of the usual work in different classes, as well as training for the prophesied day no one really thought that the prophesied day would come so soon. A shining star shone in the fair blue sky, in spite of the sunlight. No one had heard of seeing stars during the day time, so out of sheer curiosity, nearly everyone was outside looking toward the heavens, wondering why a star was shining in the middle of the day. The only ones indoors were the priests and priestesses, who were in their respective temples, praying to their deity which they worshiped. Surely this was an ill omen. The priests and priestesses all hoped it was not what they feared, and prayed for wisdom, strength and guidance from their deity, which they had simply named Holy .  
A mere two hours later, the star was now a giant moon in their sky, nearly blotting out the sun. Such a sight sent everyone into a panic. Was this the evil that was prophesied by Holy? An hour later, all would find out, when the star landed with a great crash and explosion in the middle of the Earth nation, killing hundreds there. Those who wanted to see what it was, or were sent to help whether it was of their own volition, or because they were asked to were the first unfortunate souls to be tainted. This star from the heavens was not an ordinary star. It emitted a black aura full of anger and hatred, with the will of murder. Those who got close enough were tainted immediately, their pure hearts and minds turned to evil. They immediately began attacking each other, and all others who, pure minded or not, dared to come close.

It began with the decimation with the Earth nation, since they were the closest. One by one, as other nations flocked towards the tragic Earth nation to assist them, other nations were tainted. Soon, the travelers who were tainted spread away from the star, taking the evil will with them and infecting others with it. In merely a day, the evil had spread, tainting every mind on the planet, even those of the Ice, Wind, Elemental, Light, Darkness, and Fire nations. The priests and priestesses, though much stronger in mind and will, were not exempt from this poisoning of their hearts and minds. What was once a peaceful world was now complete insanity.  
However, in the Ice nation where the crystal that Holy had possessed rested safely, a priestess and her husband were the last to be tainted. They were the strongest priest and priestess in the land, and together had a daughter who, to the amazement of all, had far surpassed them in her first year of life. As evil and malice crept through the priestesses mind her husband s already poisoned completely, which was evident as he kept trying to kill her and their daughter she knew there was only one thing she could do to save her daughter, the born savior of their world.

With tears streaming down her fair face, hidden by her locks of beautiful ebony hair, and dripping onto the swaddled form of her baby girl, the priestess now fighting with all her might the evil that threatened to completely take her over and make her kill her only child - the world s only savior lay the girl in a pod that had been built collectively by the world s top scientists. She kissed the girl s forehead, the child crying and screaming in terror, fully knowing in spite of her young age what was wrong with the world, and closed the pod door.  
My faithful guardian she said in a hoarse whisper, strained with the effort of trying to keep her own sanity, take the crystal with you. Wherever my daughter goes, go with her and protect her. I only regret that we could not train her better. My lady, said a young man, approximately seventeen years of age with hair as black as ebony, and eyes as blue as the ocean, oddly sporting the ears and tail of a cat, in spite of his human form, Do not blame yourself. She was too young to train. No one knew when this would happen. I promise, no harm will come to her. When the day comes, train her. I fear she may need it, wherever she goes. My lady, I cannot. I am merely a soldier and have no training of my own with JUST DO IT! the priestess demanded, her mind slowly slipping in spite of her efforts.  
Yes, my lady. The lad said quietly with a polite bow.  
The young man slipped into a pod of his own, holding the crystal which still glowed brightly in spite of the cloth it was wrapped in in his right hand, and just as he was closing the door, the priestess completely lost her mind. She was now nothing more than a raging animal, screaming and practically frothing at the mouth. She was like a rabid dog, and lunged at the pod that held the lad just as the door closed. She beat wildly on the pod, trying to break it open so she could attack the victim inside, but soon the pod was airborne, far out of her reach. She ran to the other pod, the one that held the child, and beat on it as well, hoping she could get to the young one inside. Her beatings ended up on a control panel next to the pod, hitting buttons all around. Her right fist whether it was on it s own, or somehow guided by one final glimmer of sanity made contact with the button that launched the pod. The last hope for that planet, as well as her guardian, were now gone, traveling to what her mother had hoped would be another planet that could sustain life, and thus sustain her daughter.  
My child she thought to herself before all light was lost and she attacked her husband, landing on his sword, I am sorry I could not train you, or raise you. Please, grow up to be a strong woman And do not let what happened to us happen anywhere else 


	2. A new home

"My lady Ara..." the young man wept as he traveled through space towards unknown worlds, clutching the glowing crystal to his chest, "I won't let this happen again. Never again. I promise I will protect and train Aurora as a fighter, but I don t know how I can train her to use Holy. My lady Ara, forgive me..."

As he swore to himself, the control panel in front of him came to life in a burst of lights and images, which appeared before him in a hologram screen. While the planet was still visible, it was slowly shrinking from sight, and he could see the darkness visibly spreading, not just in the form of insanity, but in the form of a pure lack of light.

"Cassey..." he whispered as he gazed at the horrific sight of his world slowly decaying before him while he ran in safety. "Cassey, I m so sorry... Forgive me..."

Hours later, or perhaps it had been days - he didn't know since he d been sleeping the whole time - he was rudely awakened by a loud crashing sound, paired with a sharp jolt in his pod. Had an asteroid hit him? What had happened? Were there hull damages? If so, was it anything serious? And where was the young priestess - or as he affectionately called her, princess - and her pod? These were questions that ran through his mind simultaneously. With just a few keystrokes, the hologram screen appeared before him. There was a blip on the screen that he knew was not him. According to their technology - which used tracking signals on all the ships which were detectable to the other ships aside from the ship itself that was doing the tracking - it could very well be Aurora, the little princess. But where were they? Her signal was mere meters from his, so she wasn't far. This meant that either they were both hit by the same asteroid which was not likely as it would have to be very large, large enough that it would simultaneously destroy both of their ships, and both of them or they had landed somewhere.  
"Computer." He said in a groggy, anguish laden voice, "where are we?"

"We are located in a nearby galaxy, on a satellite of one of the outer stars, Sol." Came his reply in a soft, feminine voice.

"Which galaxy, and which satellite?"

"The nearby Milky Way galaxy, on the third satellite from the star Sol."

"What are the stats on this satellite? Is it hospitable?"

"The air is breathable, and the satellite itself is over seventy per cent water. Most of the flora and fauna are edible, but it seems that there is another creature living there that may not be hospitable."

"Great just what we need. How are we on fuel?"

"Low."

"Does this planet have a replacement?"

"No. The elements required to make the fuel are nonexistent."

"How is the Princess' ship fairing?"

"By princess do you mean priestess Aurora?"

"Yes."

"The hull has sustained considerable damage. I have a faint life sign reading, but her brain waves are a bit abnormal."

"How so abnormal?" he asked, panicked that something could have damaged the princesses mind.

"It seems she s sustained a head injury, a concussion. Her other vital signs are normal."

"How bad is the concussion?"

"With proper medical attention, it should be no problem and heal quickly. Without it, at the worst she could sustain mild brain damage or memory loss."

"She's young. Young enough not to remember anything about her true home five years from now or more. So, I guess that means memory loss won t be too horrible. I'll go get her."

"Be warned, there's another life approaching."

"Is it friendly?"

"I am not sure. It's a human form, but my information indicates that most human forms on this planet are not friendly."

"SHIT!"

The young man tried to sit up and open the pod door simultaneously, but it was locked tight. He threw his weight against it, but it would not budge.

"What s wrong with the door?" he demanded.

"You are facing the ground." Came his response.

"SHIT! Cloak the princess ship and mine, and get me righted. I have to get to her!"

"I m afraid her cloaking device was damaged beyond repair. It seems the human form has noticed her ship. It is heading her way."

"SHIIIIIT!" he swore again, "I'll right this thing then! Hold on princess, I won t let them harm you!"

The lad threw his weight around, hoping it would budge the ship at least enough to get free, but it would not budge. He beat the inside of the pod wildly, trying to get out as what appeared to be a poor farmer approached the ship of Aurora, and looked at it curiously.

"Get away from her!" he demanded as he beat the inside of his own ship.

The farmer appeared not to hear him as he first poked the ship suspiciously, then looked it over. He found the pod door, which was bent on one side, prying it open. The farmer pulled out a knife from his belt, and pried it under the seal of the pod door.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM HER!" the lad demanded again, fearing that the farmer would use the knife to kill the young priestess.

Again the farmer did not appear to hear him as the door popped open enough for him to get his calloused fingers underneath. To the lad s relief, he sheathed his knife again. However, to his horror, he pulled with a grunt and a groan, using all his strength, and pulled the pod door open, revealing the sleeping Aurora. The farmer seemed to smile at the child and bent down to pick her up.

"No! NO! GET YOUR GRIMEY HANDS OFF OF HER YOU THIEF! DON T YOU DARE HARM HER OR SO HELP ME I WILL CHOKE YOU WITH YOUR OWN ENTRAILS!" he screamed, renewing his thrashings.

The farmer, again, did not hear him, but scooped up the sleeping child in his arms, and grinned at her affectionately. Straightening himself, he walked away the way he had come, cooing and smiling at the sleeping baby girl.  
Oh, that s it! the young man said in frustration.

"Sheath your anger, Moonstar." The computer warned. "It seems she is in no danger."

"Yeah, for now. Who knows what they'll do to her when they take her to wherever they are taking her. I can't let anything happen to her! I promised the high priestess!"

"And what good will getting emotional do? Anger was never a part of the people. It was never needed. It only appeared after that star hit the planet. You ve been tainted as well, and if you don't control yourself, you cannot protect her."

"All right." Moonstar said resignedly, slumping back in his seat and allowing his muscles to relax for a moment. "Just get this thing righted so I can get out."

"Better."

An hour later, Moonstar had managed to right the ship and escape the pod, in spite of his own door being damaged. His sword had served to make for a great lever, though it had broken in his effort to free himself. Thanks to everyone on their planet being telepathic, he could easily track the little priestess. He ran off in the direction he could sense her in, simultaneously angry that such a vicious life form would dare lay it s hands on her, and afraid of what they might do to her.

"Little princess," he thought to himself, "please be okay."

What was really just a few minutes seemed like hours before he caught up to the farmer and little Aurora. Moonstar was in such a panic that he would have pounced on the farmer and tore him limb from limb. However, as soon as the priestess was in his sight, what he saw confounded him. Instead of killing her, eating her, hurting her, or doing anything bad to her, he and the female a comely woman with soft brown eyes and graying brown hair - he was with were cooing at her affectionately. The farmer female the wife, he surmised tickled little Aurora under the chin, making her smile and laugh.

"I don't get it," he murmured to himself as he hid behind a nearby tree trunk, "they aren't hurting her. They're coddling her like she s their own. What are they up to? I better keep an eye on them and make sure they aren t planning to hurt her later."

Author's note: I just realized, upon reviewing this chapter to make sure nothing was needed and to add an A/N, that, for some reason, fanfic did not save half of my formatting. I had to manually put in apostrophes and quotation marks and put in line breaks where they were needed. I am afraid the previous chapter got no such formatting and I apologize for that. Stupid fanfic not saving my formatting...what a pain in the ass...

Anyway, I decided that, rather than update once a week, I'll update every few days, though so far there is no set time period between updates. The next one might be a bit late, since I have to take care of the other chapters I've uploaded and put the remaining chapters in a different file format so that the formatting will transfer over.


	3. A new family

Days passed, even weeks and months, and nothing happened to the little priestess. The farmer and his wife, instead, fed her, clothed her, and continued to coddle her as if she were their own child. The farmer looked to be about two hundred of his planet's years, and the wife just a few years younger. They were far too old to have children of their own. Their skin was tanned and leathery from working on their own farm which sported vegetation of several different types, which they fed the little Aurora. At first, Moonstar was afraid it was poison, and lamented his failure to protect her. However, when she did not get sick, Moonstar heaved a sigh of relief. It was not poison they were giving her, but food, and the food they gave her looked like the vegetation they were growing in their farm, but cooked down to be soft.

Moonstar lifted a little intercom he had with him, which allowed him to communicate with the computer in his pod.

"Computer, are you still alive?" he spoke into the little intercom device.

"So to speak I am. At least for now, but my battery is down to ten per cent."

"Do you have enough power to make a log and transfer it to my com?"

"Affirmative."

"Then start the log now. Let it be noted that not all humanoid species on this planet are militant. I've come across the family that has taken Aurora into their care. So far they have been caring for her as if she were their own child. I will continue to watch them, to make sure she is safe. Also note that days and weeks pass faster on this planet, and that there are some elements in the air or something that causes the beings to age prematurely. The family that took Aurora appears two hundred of our years, but seeing how fast a day passes, they cannot be more than fifty of this planet's years, which are approximately one fourth of our year. This planet has basic technologies, such as the use of a wedge, an incline, and so forth, but nothing terribly advanced. Probably their most advanced technology includes enslaving a life form deemed lower than themselves to pull or push something too heavy for them to pull, push or lift. Other life forms, when not used for labor, are merely grown to be killed and eaten. However, these life forms do not show any kind of sentient intelligence, in that they can think to live, but they cannot think beyond that. I will do more research on these beings later. I suspect that, with their supposed 'higher intelligence', someone may have learned a written form of communication. It will take time, but I will learn their language, both verbal and written, so I can better communicate with Aurora when she learns to speak their language, as they are teaching her now. Also I've noticed no breed of humanoid or animal mix, such as myself, so I've chosen to stay in my feline form to keep them from being suspicious or afraid of me. I doubt they've seen a being that looks half human and half cat. Got that, computer?"

"Yes. I'm sending it now."

"You're an angel."

"Your flattery won't do any good."

"Just take the compliment while you can."

With that, Moonstar stuck the device in the pocket of the pants he was wearing, and transformed himself into a little black cat. He had gone from about six feet, two inches tall, to a foot an a half in moments, turning from a handsome young man of seventeen, or the appearance of seventeen, with black hair and deep blue eyes to a little black cat with blue eyes and a moon and star shape in the middle of his furry black forehead. He ran up to the front porch of the little hut that the family lived in, right where the wife was sitting with the little Aurora in her arms. She was sitting on a log that had been cut but not yet split, cradling the girl in her arms while rocking her back and forth. She was smiling at Aurora and cooing at her, and as she was being rocked, Aurora started to fall asleep. Seeing how the situation did not look dangerous, Moonstar dared to jump into the woman's lap and curl up next to the sleeping baby. The woman was surprised at first, then angry a bit, but decided to let Moonstar stay since he wasn't doing anything dangerous to her or the baby. She cooed at Moonstar in a language he didn't recognize, and Moonstar in turn kept quiet and kept an eye on the infant Aurora.

A/N: Yay! I finally got it fixed! And fairly easy too. Well, anyway, I think I'll start posting a chapter a day on this, since I don't want to wait too terribly long. I am thinking of uploading another story I wrote and have posted on my website, though I'll have to find suitable places to break it down into chapters, since I've not written it in chapters as I have with this story. What do you wall think? Send me reviews on this story and give me your opinion on this.


	4. A hidden gift

After time, Moonstar deemed that the family Aurora was with would not harm her. They seemed to love her as he own parents had before they had been tainted. Seeing that she was in no danger, Moonstar set off on his own.

In it's own last moments, the computer from his ship told him the answer to the question that had nagged at him in the back of his mind: He was tainted, but why hadn't he lost his mind? The answer had been simple. He was carrying the crystal for Holy with him, and having it with him kept the evil at bay in his mind. However, if it left him for any reason, the evil would take over and he would lose his mind. How could he prevent this and still not have to worry about being distanced from Holy? Well, that wasn't quite as simple. He had to communicate with Holy, but he didn't know how. He had no talent like the priests and priestesses did, and had never been raised to do anything with Holy, let alone communicate with it. However, at the final insistence of his computer, he set aside his pride and asked something so simple, that it might have astounded even an adult.

"Please," he said, not knowing if Holy could hear him, "I'd do anything to protect her, and I can't do that and keep an eye on you as well. Please, do whatever it takes for me to protect the princess."

Though there had been no verbal confirmation, the crystal itself glowed so brightly that it shined like a star during the day time, bright enough to be seen by everyone in a fifty meter radius. Somehow the glowing brought a warmth and peacefulness that Moonstar had not experienced since that wretched evil invaded their home planet.

However, the light had indeed attracted the attention of animals and humans alike in that area. Moonstar had managed to escape to a nearby cave undetected, though barely. After wandering the cave for some time, he came across a hidden cavern that was filled with crystals. It was obvious it had not been discovered by other humans, otherwise the crystals would all be gone by now. In fact, even in his cat form he had difficulty getting to the cavern, so it was no wonder it hadn't been explored.

The room itself was only about twenty meters in diameter from crystal covered wall to crystal covered wall. It was oddly shaped, almost in a circle with the exceptions of a few bumps here or there. The crystal stalactites hanging from the ceiling left space for a six foot tall person to walk through, but with not much room without parting their hair on one of the stalactites. The room itself glittered and glistened in the light given off by Holy, which reflected off of some of the smoother surfaces of the crystals that had fallen and broken. This left just enough light for Moonstar to see what he was doing.

Surprised at the smooth earthen floor as compared to the walls and ceiling, Moonstar approached the center of the crystal filled "room", and, using his elemental powers over earth and it's elements, formed a crystalline pedestal that reached up to his midsection when in his humanoid form. He set the crystal on the pedestal and formed a barrier of energy around it, to protect it, as he had learned to do from his parents. After all, the Elemental region of his planet was widely known for having skills in every element and psychokinetic ability, but without complete mastery of any of them. Fortunately for him, he was the only one even remotely close to mastering one thing – barriers.

With the Holy crystal safely in place, he left the room and covered the entrance with rocks. He hated to leave Holy like that, but he couldn't risk the humans of this planet finding it. Even though they couldn't even use the power, they could still do unspeakable things to the crystal itself. No, the crystal had to stay intact, so that Aurora would later find it and at last be whole.


	5. The Fateful Day

A few years after hiding the crystal, Moonstar was pleasantly surprised to find Aurora in love with one of the locals. They seemed to be a great match for each other. The man was tall and handsome looking, with dark hair and green eyes. Being her protector, Moonstar kept an eye on him to make sure he wouldn't hurt her. What he saw astounded him. When she wasn't around, he was pining after her and his thoughts were always on her. When she was around, he was the happiest man alive, and always treated her with courtesy, kindness and respect. It was no wonder he had won her heart. Moonstar wished he could talk to them, but he couldn't risk it. He knew it was better that Aurora not know who he was or about her past until she found Holy.

"Holy," he whispered to himself as he watched them on their wedding day from a high branch in a nearby tree, "I don't know if you can hear me still, but bless Aurora and her newly wed husband."

A year later, Aurora gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, who was the spitting image of his father. He couldn't be there for the wedding in person, but he'd be damned if he didn't have something to do with her new family, baby and all. Moonstar visited more often then, and when Aurora's child – who she had affectionately named Kenny – came down with colic, he stayed by the child's side until he was all better. At first Aurora and her husband had shooed him away, as she was taught to do when growing up, but when they found that he was somehow comforting their child, they let him stay and even fed him cream fresh from their goats that they were raising. Of course, when not with the child he was with Aurora at all times, but once Kenny was better he knew he had to leave. He couldn't risk Aurora getting suspicious just yet. She had a family now, and needed time to be with them while she could.

However, when he returned four years later – when Kenny had just turned five – what he saw brought back painful memories. The land was covered in blood shed by the hands of humans, and the blood itself was human. A land war had broken out during his travels between two powerful factions that ruled the land. Anyone they thought was in the way was killed. Moonstar had hoped Aurora would be safe, since she lived far away from any of the cities in those provinces, but something nagged at him. Something told him that things were not right. The town that was closest to her was hardest hit. There were no survivors – human or animal – at least none that were around. If there were any, they had moved on.

Moonstar sniffed around, trying to trace where the perpetrators had gone. There was so much blood that it was hard to tell which direction they went by smell alone. There were so many dead bodies – some gruesomely decapitated, disemboweled, hung, cut to ribbons or even torn apart – that he could hardly trace who had come and who had gone, and their direction. Different stands and stalls that before had sold their wares were now tipped, littering the ground with what was now rotting vegetation, rusting metal, and badly soiled linens and dresses. The whole place reeked horribly, even more so to Moonstar's sensitive feline nose. It was all he could do to keep himself from gagging. It was mayhem all over again, and unfortunately the mayhem made it difficult to tell whose footprints in the bloody mud was whose.

After an hour of sniffing and searching - not counting the hour he spent on the outskirts voiding his stomach of what little lunch was left in it - Moonstar finally picked up their trail. Whoever had done this and survived had gone north. At least one of them was bleeding out of a pack of twenty. What was worse was they were heading in the direction of Aurora and her family.

Moonstar took off in the direction that the perpetrators had gone, transforming into his cat form as he could move faster that way. As he ran, all he could think of was did they find Aurora? Or had they some how passed over without noticing them? He knew it was a slim to zero chance that they had missed Aurora, but he held hope that they had. He did not want to think of the possibility that Aurora and her beautiful family had been caught by those murderers, and possibly murdered themselves. He had promised the high priestess he would protect her daughter, and did not want to think of the possibility of him failing that mission.

When Moonstar finally arrived at Aurora's hut in the middle of nowhere, he slowed his pace, wary that the enemy could still be around. The air about the hut was surprisingly cold, and reeked of blood.

"Please," he begged, seemingly to himself as he approached the doorway where the mat that had served as a door had been torn down, "please be okay. Be alive!"

As soon as he stepped paw inside the hut, what he saw nauseated him. He had to leave the hut for a moment to settle the flip flops that his stomach was doing, and to swallow his heart which seemed to be in his throat now. What he saw was horrific. Aurora's husband was in front of their dinner table with his head a few feet from his tall, handsome body; both of which were soaking in a pool of his own blood. Aurora was behind the table, hunched over with a gaping hole in her back, the cloth of her dress stained with her blood all down her back side. He could not see their son, but guessed that the small form in Aurora's arms that she held protectively even in death, was him. A pool of blood had formed beneath both mother and son, their blood mingling in what was quickly becoming a thick, gelatinous ooze. Were it not for the horrific sight, Moonstar would have noticed that the room was slightly cooler indoors than it was outdoors, cooler than it should have been, considering it was made of earth and straw.

Moonstar's thoughts were racing. He had prided himself in the past as being the best and youngest soldier they had, but when the crucial time came he could defend no one. He thought he could reconcile by protecting the priestesses daughter, and now, to his horrid realization, he had failed again. It was more than he could handle. All the pain and anguish of losing everyone he knew and love, and even the planet itself, and now the pain and anguish of yet again failing someone he had promised to protect filled his entire being. He could almost feel his psyche begin to crack.

"Oh, Holy, NO!" he cried to himself.

Moonstar could not believe that he had failed his mission. All the precautions he took, all the care he took, all the tracking he did to make sure she was okay when he went off to study – everything he had done was all for naught. He had nothing left any more. His only mission was to protect Aurora. He had nothing left he could do with himself, and now no reason to find out. What patience he had for this new world, what hope he had for Aurora's future or for his own, what light he saw in the wretched world he was in now, all of that was gone, never to return.

Filled with grief, Moonstar returned to the cave where he had hidden Holy, packing with him the only weapon he carried with him – a katana. He had picked it up a few years ago, figuring he would one day need it to defend Aurora. Now that she was dead, there was no use for it. He just kept it with him for nostalgia, a reminder of the promise he had made and failed to keep.

Mooney had nearly gotten lost on the way to the cavern where Holy rested on a couple of occasions, due to the tears that blurred his vision and the jumbled thoughts in his mind that kept him from concentrating on where he was going. He had even passed the entrance a few times as he wondered down the never ending tunnels, turning ever deeper into the earth, ignoring the increasingly cold air and the stale stench of the soil. He didn't know what else to do, and had no one else to turn to. Frankly, he would have liked to join Aurora, but he had something to straighten out with Holy first.

"Holy!" he both screamed and cried when he entered the glowing cavern, "You can see the future, so why didn't you tell me this would have happened?"

There was no audible answer.

"Answer me!" he cried in rage and anguish.

Still there was no answer.

"I know I should have stayed around more, and I'm not about to excuse not being there, but you're supposed to be a being of strength and wisdom. Why didn't you do something to intervene?"

Again, there was no answer.

Tears were once again flowing down Moonstars cheeks uncontrollably. He hated himself for his failure, and couldn't figure out why Holy hadn't done anything. Since Holy itself wouldn't even talk to him, give him an answer, do something to help as it always had before, Moonstar knew he was damned. He'd promised protection to the princess and had failed. The priestess that was to be the vessel for Holy had died, and Holy apparently deemed that unforgivable.

Moonstar's knees buckled beneath him and he plopped to the earthen floor as tears streamed down his face, hitting the floor with a quiet IPlip! Plip!/I He didn't know what else to do. He had no answers and wasn't going to get anything. He had no hope, and no reason to hope. Now that he had no purpose any more, there was one thing left he could think of to do, and the more he thought about it, the louder a still and small voice in his head got. This voice was both foreign and familiar to him. It was his voice, but it spoke in tones he himself had never heard. It whispered softly promises of quietness in the eternal darkness that was death, a cessation of the anguish he felt, an blankness that he would come to love as he forever forgot his past and never had to think again about anything. This voice, though soothing, he knew was evil. He wanted to believe it was remnant of the meteor that destroyed his home world, but knew that what remnant there was had been washed away by the power of Holy long ago. He knew this voice was his own subconscious cracking, breaking under the strain of his pride and his failed missions combined. He knew that normally he would never consider it the coward's way out – which it was – and would NEVER condone it, but he was desperate and nothing else he COULD do.

Pulling the sword from it's sheath, he pressed the edge of the blade to his throat and pressed in hard while simultaneously pulling the length of the sword across his throat. The jugular vein split open, squirting warm blood all over the place. He watched in mixed horror and relief as the very life blood left his veins and poured on the earth floor beneath him, just as Aurora's had, and just as everyone else in his world had. In mere moments he could see the darkness closing in on his vision as his breathing became quick and shallow, his blood pressure first increasing in a futile effort to get blood to the brain, then decreasing as the volume of blood became so little that the strain on his heart was too much. His pulse slowed, his skin paled, his breathing ceased, and soon his heart had stopped. In a matter of moments, the cat boy was dead.


	6. A bew beginning

Aurora awoke an hour or so later. At first she remembered nothing – not even the name that the humans who raised her had given her. However, once she looked down at the dead and now frozen form of her son in her arms, she remembered. She remembered everything in horrifying, gruesome detail.

Soldiers had burst into their hut, tearing the mat door down. She couldn't recall their faces, but she remembered not liking them as soon as she saw them. Her husband sprung to his feet to defend them, but he no sooner stood than his head had been severed from his shoulders in a smooth and efficient motion that she did not think could be humanly possible, and both his head and his body which squirted a fountain of blood from his now severed neck hit the earthen floor, dead before it could land. She had grabbed their son in her arms, crying hysterically for her dead husband, and wrapped her whole body around their son, pressing his little head into her chest so that he would not see his fallen father and to make sure he would not be harmed. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers was carrying a halberd, which pierced both her body and her son's right through the heart. It sent a searing pain through her body, but the pain was nothing more than a mosquito bite in comparison to the pain in her heart, which only doubled as she watched the halberd exit her chest, as if in slow motion, and pierce completely through the small, shivering body of her frightened and crying son. His bright green eyes met hers, filled with pain and horror, begging her to make the bad men stop as the blood flowed out of both of their bodies. Oh, god how she wished she could take away his pain. She felt him go limp slowly in her arms, watched as his eyes slowly became blank as his life drained from him, while she herself grew weak. Just when she thought it was over, the pain in her body renewed as the halberd was ripped from the body of her son, as well as herself, sending both their blood spraying anew. As her eyes began to flutter shut and her body began to hunch forward weakly, her warm blood and the blood of her son all over her being her only physical feeling besides pain, she remembered that in her final moments she was glad that her son was out of pain, and prayed weakly to whatever power was out there that her soul, wherever it went, would be with her family in the afterlife. The darkness closed in on her as the comforting embrace of death took her in. The next thing she knew she was awake and her son was frozen in her arms – strange considering it was spring time.

Aurora stood, still carrying her son's frozen form in her arms, and examined him. His face was so peaceful and calm, as if he were only napping. Were it not for the pale pallor, the blue hue to his lips, how cold and stiff his body felt, the blood that covered his little body or the gaping wound in his little chest, Aurora would have thought he really was just sleeping, curled in his usual fetal position.

Aurora didn't want to see the dead form of her husband again as she remembered in bitter anguish how his head had been removed with ruthless accuracy, bringing with it a lump in her throat and a tightness in her chest, but knew if she was going to get out of the hut that she would have to. She looked over to his headless and lifeless body, and had to look away, forcing back a gag and a sob at the sight. She squeezed her dead son to her body as a means of comfort, though really this brought little.

Then it hit her. Why was her son frozen? It was spring time. It was too warm for ice, especially ice that could fill and cover the human body. Looking over to where she had awoken, she found that the area where she had been crouched, as well as the area on the earthen floor where she had set her hand to help lift herself to her feet, was frozen completely. Frost glistened in the evening sunset, reflecting off of the blood that had long since coagulated and froze. This sight made her panic. What was going on? Why was her son frozen? Why was the floor frozen? And why was she still alive? She had seen the blade go right through her body and into her son's—

That was right, she had been fatally wounded. Aurora looked down and saw the gaping wound in her own chest, as well as the blood stains on her tunic belonging both to her and her son that oozed down her chest to her stomach. She dropped her son's body in surprise, and regretted it immediately. For a moment she had expected her son to scream, to cry, to complain like any child would, but the only sound she heard was a THUMP! As his body hit the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" she wanted to say. She tried to say. She couldn't say. Her mouth would not move, her lips would not part. They felt like they were stuck together with a super powerful adhesive. Her fingers trailed up to her face, gingerly touching and feeling her face. What she felt surprised her even more. Her face was stiff and cold. It would not move no matter how she commanded her facial muscles to work. She could not smile, or frown, or crease her brow. She could not move her mouth or lips in any way. The only thing on her face that appeared to work were the lids. Only adding to her panic was the fact that she felt frost on her face, and that the skin itself was so cold that she doubted the frost would melt. Now that she realized it, she felt cold inside and out all over.

Aurora next examined her hands. They were stiff and the fingers would hardly move, if at all. The skin was lightly hued blue, and glistened with frost. This frightened Aurora even more than she already was. She rolled up the sleeve of her tunic, revealing her arm which was the same as her hands, but with a little less frost. Her knees buckled and she crumpled to the floor.

After a moment of sitting and trying to straighten things out in her mind, Aurora snapped back to reality. Out of curiosity, she checked the space where her bottom had hit the ground and found that it was just fine. No frost here. However, the ground where her hands had been laying was frozen. Was it possible that all the freezing was caused by her hands?

Aurora decided to do an experiment to see if the center point really was her hands. After all, it couldn't hurt to try, and if it turned out as she predicted it would, it would help her out a bit in getting her husband back together. She hesitantly grabbed her husband's head, her hands caressing his cheeks, and was amazed to find that his head froze almost instantly. She watched as ice formed on his skin where her hands were, and snaked and flowed through the rest of his head.

Aurora then dropped his head, and turned to his body, which now faced the doorway and was resting on his stomach. She lay her hands on his body to turn it over so that he was on his back. His body was surprisingly heavy for having all the blood drained out of it and having his head severed, but she managed to flip him over with a grunt and a groan. However, as she did so, his whole body froze in mere seconds. She was still frightened out of her mind, but kept presence enough to complete her experiment.

Aurora set his head near his body and looked around. The hut had been trashed in the raid, but surprisingly enough there was a cup of water undisturbed on the little oak table that her husband had carved. She went to reach for it, but remembered what had happened when she touched her husband. Would the cup freeze? Would the water in it freeze? How she wished she could bring the cup to her, without touching the cup!

Almost as though it obeyed her thoughts, the cup suddenly floated off of the table. It swished and sloshed back and forth, spilling some of its contents here and there. When it got to Aurora, it set itself down roughly. The whole thing frightened Aurora even more. She didn't know how that had happened, or what in the world was going on. However, whatever had happened just now had helped her.

Aurora carefully aligned her husband's head and neck with his neck and shoulders. She slipped her sleeve of her tunic over one hand, while the other held his head in place. With her wrapped up hand, she grabbed the humble cup, relieved that it didn't freeze, and poured it over the wound on his neck. Some of the water sloshed onto her hand, creating a frozen puddle on her hand, while the rest of it froze instantly on top of the wound around his neck, holding it in place.

There were so many questions in her head now, and she had no answers for them. Right now, though, her concentration was on her dead and now frozen family. Would she bury them? Entomb them? How would she do so? After seeing her hands and arms, she figured that her face was just the same. She couldn't very well go into the small town nearby and ask for help. They would deem her a demon or a witch and would torture her, and desecrate the bodies of her husband and her son. She had no idea that everyone in town was just as dead as her family, slaughtered by the very soldiers that had killed her.

She wanted to entomb her family, but where? And how? Anything she touched with her hands froze. However, the cup had not frozen when she touched it with a covered hand. Thinking quickly, she tore off a long strip from her tunic around the bottom hem, trying to avoid the blood which was inevitable, even at the hem, and carefully wrapped it around her hand. The cloth had frozen when she touched it, but it was still flexible as it didn't really have enough moisture in it to make it rigid.

Once her hands were wrapped, Aurora looked out the open doorway of her hut, trying to think of a good place to entomb her son and her husband, while at the same time still trying to comprehend and sort out what had gone on since she woke up. She wanted to be able to visit them whenever she wanted, and to bring them flowers. However, she was afraid that if she left it out in the open that their tomb would be desecrated. No, she had to find a place to hide them until she could figure out what was going on and how she could be with them again in the after-life.

That's when she noticed the mountains in the background. She remembered visiting the caves during the summer to keep cool since they were always as cold as winter. Perhaps she could take their frozen bodies into the caves, find a cavern that was still undiscovered, and hide them there. The cold temperature would ensure that their bodies would not thaw, and thus would remain preserved. However, there was the problem of transportation. How would she get them that far? She was not strong enough to carry both of them. If it were just her son, she could, but her husband was too heavy for her to carry.

The answer to that was simple enough. They had a cart which they would attached to a horse when it came time to take their hay and vegetables into town to sell during the harvest. The cart was large enough to hold her husband and her son, but Aurora was not sure if their two horses were still in the stable, or if they, too had been killed, or stolen.

Aurora walked out to the stables, noting their ruined garden. The vegetables had all been smashed or uprooted, stolen by those ruthless murderers. She had expected to see the horses dead or gone, but was surprised when she could not see, but had heard, a soft snort from one of their horses. Following the sound, she found the horse laying down behind a tall stack of hay, half buried by bales of hay that had been pushed over. She didn't know how it had happened, but somehow the horse had been hidden. The other horse was completely gone, likely stolen. She pushed the larger bales off of the horse so it could stand, which it did almost immediately. It bucked at first, being afraid still from the raid and afraid of the strange frozen body in front of it, but she managed to calm it enough to get the reins on it.

After leading the horse to the carriage, Aurora strapped the carriage to the horses harness and lead it to the hut where she managed to drag her husband's body onto the flat bed of the device, being balanced on two wooden wheels that lay dead center in the bed. After loading her son on top of her husband gingerly, she lead the horse to the mountains.

After a couple of hours, Moonstar awoke where he previously lay dead. At first his eyes didn't want to open, and he was fine with that. He was tired, and wanted to sleep more. However, something bothered him. Sure, he was used to the smell of damp, cold earth, but another scent reached his nose, one that had made him alert. It was the smell of blood, though at the time he couldn't tell who the blood belonged it. He was dazed and confused, but after a moment he remembered what had happened. He remembered finding Aurora dead, coming to talk to Holy only to get no answers, and then he remembered slicing his own throat open. He was supposed to be dead after that. Or, at least, he thought he was supposed to be. Had he not sliced deep enough? Had his dying experience only been panic that whisked him into unconsciousness, rather than death? Was he really alive? He took a look around and found he was still in the cave, which was ice cold as usual. Below him was a frozen pool of blood that he knew was his own. However, he was not dead. He was very much alive, but how?

Moonstar grasped at his neck, only to find that the gaping wound that should have been there was gone as if it had never happened. All that was left was caked on blood, which had long since dried. What was going on? How and why was he still alive? Then he remembered. Some time ago he had asked Holy to do whatever it took to allow him to protect Aurora. Perhaps that was how he survived, and without even a scratch to show for it. But why make him immortal like that? Aurora was dead, so there was no one left to protect.

Moonstar sighed heavily, both crept out at what was going on and confused as to why. He looked around and found his katana next to him, the blade crusted with his own blood. He lifted it to his face, as if to examine it, and seriously considered trying the stunt again to see if he would stay dead this time. However, a thought occurred to him. Why make him immortal if Aurora was not? Was it possible that she had somehow survived such a fatal wound? Or was she, too, immortal?

"I see now." He said to himself as he wiped his sword clean with a small patch of his shirt that was still unstained with blood before re-sheathing it. "My job isn't over after all. The only question is, why? No one is meant to be immortal, so why must we?"

Moonstar had hoped for an answer but once again he didn't get one. He heaved another heavy sigh, stood, and gave one last look at the glowing crystal that was Holy before leaving the cavern to go find Aurora.

A/N: Sorry everyone! I forgot about yesturday's update and thus did not do it. So I'm doubling up today!

P.S. I love reviews. *hint hint*


	7. A grand reunion

Aurora had managed to get the horse and carriage into the cave, but could go no further from there. As it was, trying to get the horse to obey her and follow her as she lead it to the caves in the mountains was a feat in and of itself. She had to explore on her own to find a secluded cavern that no one else would find. There were so many as it was that one would easily get lost. However, she was smart. She carried a rock with her to etch on the walls whenever she would make a turn, pointing in the direction she had just come from. When she had to backtrack and find another way, she would scratch out the arrows she had made, to indicate she had already gone that way and was unsatisfied.

After hours of searching the dark, damp caves with nothing more than a thick tree branch lit by a small fire she had made in the mouth of the cave before exploring, Aurora was about to give up and go back to her frozen family to make sure they were not thawing, when she came across a little black cat. It was a strange looking cat at that. It looked like a normal cat except one thing – it had a golden patch in the middle of it's forehead in the shape of a crescent moon hanging like a hammock, and an upside down star balancing on one point in the middle of the crescent moon. It was running away from the direction she was going in, but stopped when it saw her. It seemed to give her a strange look, followed by a look of what she thought was great relief.

Suddenly, to her great amazement, the cat started to transform. When it was done it was no longer a cat, but a young boy, about the age of seventeen. He had black hair adorned with furry black cat ears. His skin was fair, his eyes baby blue. He wore a pair of leather trousers and a roughly sewn muslin shirt that was long since tattered with wear. To his side was a sword tied around his waist. Behind him his tail swayed back and forth peacefully, and on his face was a huge smile. The whole thing had taken Aurora off guard. Hadn't she been through enough weird stuff for one day?

"Aurora! I'm so glad you're okay!" the boy said as he suddenly embraced her.

Aurora jumped back, pushing the boy away, both afraid and confused.

"W-who are you? And who is Aurora?" she said, still not remembering her own name.

"You are Aurora, don't you remember?" he said, a sad look in his eyes.

"Obviously I don't."

"Then I guess the question is, if you don't remember your own name, then who are you?" the boy said with a sigh.

"I…don't know…" she said hesitantly. "I don't know who I am. I don't remember anything but my family and myself being murdered. How do you know who I am? Unless you're one of the men that killed us!" Aurora said as she stood defensively, ready to do whatever it took to get revenge for her murdered family, even if it cost her life. Especially if it cost her life.

"Did any of them look like a cross between a human and a cat?"

"Well….no…"

"Then that is evidence that I was not one of them. Believe me, it's a long story. I know who you are, but seeing as we've both been through some weird stuff today, I don't think that now is a good time to tell you."

"Just who are you anyway? You know who I am, but I've never seen you before."

"You have, but you don't remember. My name is Moonstar, and I am your guardian."

"My…guardian? Says who? If you're my guardian, why didn't you protect my family and myself?" Aurora said bitterly.

"Ouch, harsh. I am truly sorry that I failed. I have no excuse, and only one explanation, but not even that excuses my failure. I don't expect you to forgive me." He said somberly.

"This is just too weird." Aurora muttered to herself. "First my family is murdered, including myself, and yet I wake up alive and frozen. Then I discover I can freeze things and for some reason things around me float around and act according to my will. Now this!"

"I think I can explain why you're alive, but not necessarily why you're frozen."

"Then tell me!"

"I can't. It's too long and you wouldn't believe me. You don't even believe me now. You think I'm crazy, delusional, dressing up as some weird freak with cat ears and a cat tail as a part of my delusional state."

"How did you…?"

"Know? Again, you wouldn't believe me. Look, I know what you're looking for and why. Get your family and follow me."

"No." Aurora said firmly.

"And why not?"

"Because you would know where they would be resting. I don't want anyone but myself to know."

"You don't want to risk having them desecrated, and yet you want to visit them. That is understandable. However, remember, I am your guardian. I have no reason to desecrate your beloved husband and son. I cannot make up for my sin of failure, but the least I can do is help you, as I was supposed to do all along."

Aurora hesitated for a moment. Could she really trust this boy? She thought it strange that he knew everything about her, even her own thoughts, and yet she knew nothing about him. That sent red flags blazing in her mind, however right now she had only one other option, and that was to go back to her family, make sure they were not thawing, and try searching again. The search itself could take days, weeks, months, even years, and she was not sure that she would be able to search that long without finding out just what she could do and how to control it.

"All right." She agreed after a few moments of thinking. "I'll go get my family."

"I'll help." Moonstar volunteered.


	8. A resting place

After reaching Aurora's frozen husband and child, Moonstar noted how finely they had been frozen, especially considering that she only just found out about her powers, and did not know how to control them yet. Nonetheless, he helped her haul her son and husband to a cavern just a few hundred meters past the cavern where Holy was waiting for her. Eventually he would take her there, but for now she needed training. So for now, he carried her husband on his back – surprised at how heavy he was, even for being dead and frozen – while she carried her son in her arms.

Moonstar lead Aurora through a winding tunnel of caves, taking a twist and a turn here and there. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, and why not? He explored these caves a lot trying to find a secluded spot for Holy to rest. He only used the one Holy was in now because even he had missed it the first several times, and he didn't have to use any of his powers to hide it. The cavern he was leading Aurora to did need a little of his power to hide it, but not much, especially since it was so out of the way.

After what seemed like hours of walking around, with Aurora wondering all the time if this boy knew where he was going, or if he was just leading her into a trap, they finally reached a secluded cavern filled with all types of gems and crystals. The ceiling was a couple of feet over Aurora's head, and was covered in stalactites, which hung as low as the floor in some places. The floor itself had several stalagmites, some of which connected to stalactites from the ceiling. Since they were so far into the cave, there was no light, and they both surely would have injured themselves if Moonstar hadn't amazed Aurora even more by providing a ball of pure flame in his hand, which danced and flickered with the slight breeze they created by walking, and provided light for them to see.

"How did you know this was here?"

"I spent a lot of time exploring these caves." Moonstar explained.

"Why? What was the purpose?"

"You'll find out later. For now, let's get your husband and son into position."

"Position for what?"

"It's cold enough in here that they will stay frozen, so I'm going to start your training with teaching you how to make an ice coffin for them, so that you can see them whenever you want to."

"Training?"

"I told you, I know who you are. I know you can freeze things. In fact, you can do so better than I can, but you just need to be trained. Now, deep beneath us there is an underground spring. I'm going to bring some up through the ground, and I want you to freeze it when I say so. But here's the trick – don't touch it. Yes, that's right," Moonstar said when Aurora gave him a strange look, "you can freeze things without touching them, just as you can make things move without touching them."

"So then that cup that moved on it's own earlier was me?"

"Yes."

"What else can I do then?"

"You can read minds, but you will need a lot of training with that. Actually, you're not just limited to reading minds. You can speak to them as well, and with training you can do more than that. In fact, this whole time, you haven't even moved your mouth."

"WHAT?" Aurora exclaimed, her voice resounding off of the cavern walls, "That's impossible, you lie!"

"SHH!" Moonstar hissed, "Not so loud. Think about it, your whole body is frozen, including your mouth. How is it going to move if it is frozen?"

"How can I move if I am frozen?"

"Good question. I don't know the answer to that one, but if you don't believe me, put your hand on your lips and say something."

Aurora did as she was told, and pressed her cold hand to her lips. She tried to speak the names of her fallen family, but was amazed when she did not feel her cold, stiff lips move, even though she heard the sound of their names just fine. Her eyes widened in fear and disbelief. Was that how he read her mind? Was she projecting her thoughts rather than keeping them to herself.

"Partly, yes."

"Huh? Yes what?"

"You were just wondering if the reason I knew what you were thinking was because you were projecting your thoughts. The answer is that yes, you were partly projecting them, so my mind automatically picked up on them. The other part was me searching your mind."

"Hey, that's just rude! Stay out of my thoughts, they are mine!"

"Sorry!" he said resignedly, "Anyway, we'll work on that later. For now, set your son up against that stalagmite over there in the middle."

Aurora did as she was told, and rested her son's curled and frozen body against a nearby stalagmite. As she did so, Moonstar lay her husband against the stalagmite that was right next to him. Soon Moonstar's eyes were glowing brightly, adding light to the room. Not long after they started glowing, water started to seep up from the floor, washing over their bare and dusty feet.

"I'm going to keep bringing in water until there's enough. For now, start freezing the water that looks like it's making two different size pedestals."

"How?"

"There's a beast inside you, wanting to get out. You feel it, don't you? It's cold isn't it?"

"Yes, very cold."

"Let it out, but only a little bit."

"Okay." Aurora said quietly.

She wasn't sure how to do it exactly, but she had a good idea. The entire time she had felt something inside her, something cold and powerful. It frightened her, so she held it back. Now she eased up a bit, allowing some of it to escape. As she did so, she watched with mixed amazement and terror as the two water pedestals that Moonstar had somehow formed near the bodies of her husband and son froze solid instantly.

"Good, very good. Now, back off, but whatever you do, don't suck it back in. Instead, let it return on it's own. If you suck it back in, it will resist, and cause a very long lasting chain reaction that could freeze more than just the two of us." Moonstar instructed.

Frightened by the consequences, Aurora wanted to release it all, to let it go and hope it wouldn't come back. However, she knew that if she did that, the same thing would happen. So, instead, she merely held back as she had before and waited for the little bit of the released demon to return to her, which it did quickly.

Without a word, Moonstar lifted her husband onto the larger and shorter of the two ice pedestals, standing him uneasily on his frozen feet. While holding him in place, some of the water from the floor flowed slowly and somehow peacefully up and around his feet and ankles.

"All right, practice makes perfect, so with every section of your husband that I cover with water I want you to freeze it. Just take it slow."

Aurora nodded silently, and looked at the water that surrounded her husband's feet and ankles. Again she released the demon, and watched as the water froze. They did this over and over again, all the way up to her husband's shoulders, just below Moonstar's hands that held him in place so he wouldn't fall over. Once that was frozen, he was able to move his hands without her husband falling, and filled the rest of the gap from his shoulders all the way up to the ceiling with a cylinder of water. This was much more water than Aurora had worked with previously, so she had to release more, and thus put more strain on herself. The water again froze with ease, but this time it took longer for the demon to return.

"You look tired." Moonstar commented once her husband was frozen in his tomb of ice which was surprisingly clear enough for her to still see his face clearly.

"I am."

"You shouldn't be. Considering that you are frozen all over, pretty much the walking dead, you shouldn't be bogged down by human weaknesses such as exhaustion, hunger, or thirst. You're working harder to hold back the beast inside, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you still have yet to tame it. Don't worry, we'll work on that later. You rest. I will work on your son."

"What about you?" she asked quietly.

Moonstar was taken back by this. Up to this point, she made no mention of caring about his well being, and had made a point of making it known that she did not trust him. However, he had watched her grow up and knew that she was naturally a caring person, so it shouldn't have been so surprising.

"I'm fine." He said, trying to wear a reassuring smile, "I've had training and passed with flair. My demons are tamed and obey my every order without question, so I only get tired when I run out of energy. I'm just surprised you're so tired, considering that your well of energy is far deeper than mine."

"Moonstar…" Aurora said quietly as she sat on the earthen floor and curled her knees up to her chest, "Why am I like this? Why am I still alive? Why and how can I do the things I do with my mind? What am I?"

"Those are all legitimate questions." He said as he walked up to her son and lifted him up onto the taller pedestal so that he was somewhat standing on it, reaching the altitude of her husband's chest, "But you've been through enough today. You wouldn't believe me if I told you right now, so I'll explain later. Oh, and you can call me Mooney. It'll be easier to say than Moonstar."

"Okay, Mooney. But why are you helping me?"

"Like I said, I am your guardian. My purpose is to protect you, and to help you. Someone very special asked me to do so, and to train you, but I can only train you in so much. You have another very special skill, but unfortunately I cannot train you in it since I don't know how." Mooney explained as he covered her child in water that lead up to the ceiling and froze it.

"What skill is that?"

"After I train you, I will show you."

"Alright." Aurora said quietly.

"So, what's next?" Mooney said as he sat next to Aurora on the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I am your guardian, but that doesn't mean that I am in charge. Instead, you are in charge. Besides, we have your husband and son entombed, but after that I have no clue what to do."

"So basically I'm the boss?"

"Yup!"

"And if I don't want to be?"

"Too bad, I guess."

"Great, another thing I don't want shoved into my hands."

"Hey, don't worry about it. What has happened has happened. You are who and what you are, and cannot change it. So, instead of pouting about it, try dealing with it and working with it."

"Harsh words for someone who is supposed to be my subordinate." Aurora snapped.

"Hey, you may be the boss but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I think over boss and subordinate, we should be friends. Anyway, it's true. You can't change who or what you are. All you can do is learn to use it to benefit others, am I right?"

"I guess."

"You don't have to like it, but you do need to learn to deal with it. Now, what are we going to do next?"

"Deal with it." Aurora said simply, "Since I can't get rid of it, I want you to teach me how to control it."

"Now THAT is the Aurora that I know." Mooney said with a warm smile.

"Just how do you know me so well anyway?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to get mad?"

A/N: AHHH! Sorry this is late again! Things have been VERY busy lately and i keep forgetting. X.X I'll post double tonight, but after that it will have to be random until things calm down a bit. Love reviews! Send them please!


	9. A New Name

The first thing they did after getting out of the cave was to get Aurora new clothes. What she wore now was covered in blood, and had a hole where she had been stabbed, both in front and in back. Not only that, but it revealed her skin, which was now tinted blue as though she had frozen, and glistened with frost. In order to travel efficiently, she would have to hide those outstanding features. Aurora herself could make the clothes, but she had no materials. So, Mooney ran to the village that had been decimated, making it a point not to look at the gore that covered everything. He found where a taylor once vended his wares, and noticed a large wooden box filled with cloth. He lead Aurora to the box, where she picked out some simple black material. From that she made a dress and a cape. The dress itself covered her from neck to shins, but there were no sleeves, and there were slits in the sides so that she could move more easily. Mooney thought this was too revealing, but knew that it was more functional. Without those slits that went up to her hips, she would be weighted down bu unnecessary cloth that would only get in the way. As for the sleeves, he didn't know the purpose of leaving her arms uncovered, but figured that the cape she made would cover them for her, as well as covering her legs down to her knees. If the cape were any longer, she would have tripped on it and it would have been in the way. So then why not just make the dress normal if she was going to have a cape anyway? Her answer was simple. So she could hide in the cape when she needed to, but if she needed to fight, she could fight.

Next they found one of the village soldiers who lay face down in the mud. Aurora did not like the scene at all, or what she was about to do, but knew that she would need something to cover her feet up to her knees. Fortunately, this was a high ranking officer, so his boots went to his knees, and fit her just right.

Next was a potter, who lived in his shop, and died there as well. It looked as though he had died while making an earthen vessel, as the clay was on the table, half molded and fully dry now, and his tools were beside it. The kiln itself was now cold.

"Mooney, you're an Elementor. Would you make me a mask from the clay please?"

"All right."

Mooney found a lump of clay in some water nearby and molded it into a mask to fit Outai's face. He fired it in the kiln, then they allowed it to cool before she wore it. Now she was covered, yet still able to move.

Mooney trained Aurora, both to control her abilities, and to use them efficiently. He trained her to not only use her new found powers individually, but to also fuse them together to make a single product. By the time he was done with her, she could not only freeze things, but form them into whatever she wanted, with little to no concentration at all. She could speak individually to a single person's mind and make it sound like she was using her mouth, or she could speak to a whole crowd the same way. Conversely, she could also skip what they called the "Ventriloquism Telepathy", and speak directly to someone's mind without it sounding like it was coming from outside, but instead coming from inside their head. Not only that, but he had helped her expand her telepathy to more than just mental conversation. She could track brain waves with her mind, as could he, and she could search a person's mind.

Once it seemed like she was in complete control and able to perform even the largest of mental tasks with little to no concentration, Moonstar lead Aurora to a nearby martial arts master. He himself had taken training on one of his various trips, and thought it would be best if Aurora learned to defend herself without having to use her powers. He knew because of her existence and her appearance that she would be an outcast, refused by others or sought after by others so that they might try to hurt her. He could defend her, and would, but it was always better safe than sorry. Aurora seemed to enjoy the lessons, and was saddened when her master told her that he could teach her no more because she knew EVERYTHING that he knew.

Once all was said and done, neither one knew what to do. What was the point of their existence? Why would they have to live forever? These were questions that were constantly on their minds, and only Mooney knew that Holy was the only way they would find out. Up to this point, he had never even mentioned anything about Aurora's past. He wanted to train her first, prepare her for what was coming up so that she could handle the news.

"So," he asked Aurora as they walked solemnly away from her master's hut in the middle of the woods, just seven kilometers north of where she had lived, "what's next?"

"I want to do a search and find out who those men were that murdered my family and myself."

"Getting revenge won't bring them back, nor will it help your state of mind."

"I know, and I could care less. What they did is completely unforgivable. I will make them learn that myself."

"This isn't the Aurora I know."

"Right now the Aurora you know is dead. She was murdered by those men."

"If you're not Aurora, then who are you?"

"That name doesn't suit me anyway, so it's time for a new one."

"Any ideas?"

"Yeah. Outai Tabibito suits me just fine."

"That's a weird name. What does it mean?"

"It means 'Lone Traveller'."

"But you're not alone. I'm here, and I'm not about to leave your side. The last time I did that, you saw and experienced what happened."

"I know, and you are a terrific friend."

"Then why the 'lone'?"

"Because without my love and my son, I am empty and alone inside. Besides, when I woke up I couldn't remember my real name – and I still don't – so I contemplated a new name for myself. Since at the time I was all alone and we had not yet met, this was the name I came up with. I had determined to do some travelling once the affairs of my family were taken care of to find those men and teach them a lesson they will never forget, even if never means only a few brief moments before they die."

"It still doesn't suit you."

"Well, right now it's the best thing I can come up with."

"All right," Moonstar said, raising his hands in resignation, "I give up. Outai it is."

"Thank you."

"I just can't win with you, can I?"

"Haven't you learned that by now?"


	10. Chapter 10 Revenge

After all her training, her preparation, Outai didn't know what to do to find the men that had robbed her of what meant everything to her. It was confusing for her, as well as frustrating. She wanted revenge so badly that she could almost taste it. She s make those bloodthirsty heathen pay for what they had done to her husband and son. But how could she do so if she couldn't find them?

Her first clue was to talk to the regent of her land. Surely he would know who they were, or at least who they worked for. Since all the people in the land technically worked for the regent paying taxes in both money and in food that they grew or clothes that they tailored or other necessary wares she knew that the best place was to start with him. Surely he d listen to a humble farmer s wife, part of a family who paid their dues.

Once their destination was decided, Outai and Mooney went ahead and traveled towards the castle, where they knew the king would be. However, once they reached the town that resided inside the protective wall of the castle, what they saw confused them. Everyone was in a panic, packing up and running as fast as they could. Their minds were in such disarray that anyone who fell or tripped was trampled to death. It was pure and utter madness. What in the world was going on? People were packing up their families and leaving, only to be stopped by soldiers at the gate, soldiers that they themselves had narrowly evaded.

As Outai stood in the middle of the little town inside the castle walls, Moonstar resting on the top of her head in his cat form as usual, she was bumped and jostled back and forth. She herself was amazed that he hadn't woken up or fallen off, but that was a question for later. She tried to find a somewhat safe place to hide, at least until the mass hysteria had died down or left town enough for her to approach someone without getting killed again. Her eyes darted to and fro, looking even for the smallest nook that she could stand in to keep from being pushed and jostled, but to no avail. Instead, what she did see was an elderly woman get pushed to the ground, and trampled by the feet of the panicking humans. Concerned for the woman s health, she started shoving back, roughly pushing anyone aside who was in her way. Some gave her death glares, but moved on in terror anyway. Others were so frightened that they hadn't noticed. She was afraid that she would be too late by the time she got to the woman and stopped the trampling.

It seemed to take forever to get to her, but once Outai was there, she wasted no time in pushing away anyone who dared near the injured old woman.

"Mooney!" she yelled to her feline companion, "what can we do about crowd control? People are getting killed like this!"

"People want out, right?"

"Yeah!" Outai said as she held her hand out to the old woman, which was grasped by a swollen and trembling old hand.

"Well since there's only one opening in the wall, we ll have to make more. How are we going to do that? Those walls are made of stone, at least half a meter thick!"

As she spoke the woman seemed to pull away, her old, tired eyes wide with fright.

"I won t hurt you, I promise." She told the woman reassuringly, who then took her hand again and allowed her to help her up.

"I'm an elementor, remember?"

"Right. Then I will trust you with the rest. This woman needs medical attention."

"Right!" Mooney said and jumped to the ground.

Mooney then began to dart to and fro between people s feet. Before Outai had realized it, he was out of sight. With all the panic and hysteria, it was difficult to move, but for a cat like him it was possible. Moments seemed like hours before he reached the castle wall, where several armed soldiers were fighting off panicked civilians, often killing them. The sight was horrible. This was the third time he d seen something like this, and it was enough to drive anyone mad. Mooney closed his eyes tightly, to push the sight away long enough for him to concentrate. Outai was right. The walls were thick, and built well with stone. However, the weak point was the mortar. This would be easy enough to break away, and easier to conceal than stones flying on their own. After all, if they had seen something so out of the ordinary happen, that would only cause more hysteria. To make things better, they had been blessed with rain that day, so there was plenty of water on the ground and the walls. All he had to do was make it seep into the mortar in an area on the wall of about twenty meters wide reaching up to the top of the wall. Once the mortar was soaked through, he froze the water, causing it to swell and break the mortar apart. He wanted to aid the civilians, who really had no chance as their only weapons were gardening tools and harvesting tools. So, rather than cause a scene by having the rocks explode apart, or crumble to the ground uselessly, he used his mind to push them forward onto the soldiers. This time it was the soldiers who had no chance. The weight of the rocks, as well as the soldiers who had been on top of the wall, crushed them. The civilians in that area heard the screams of soldiers being crushed, and turned their heads. Those who weren't killed saw the wall fall, and ran towards freedom, most falling at the arrows from the soldiers on the wall.

_Damn!_ Mooney thought to himself, _Those soldiers are a real problem. I need a way to get them out of the way, without it looking unnatural. But how?_

Mooney looked up and noticed that some of the soldiers on the wall had hot tar with them. This could be a disadvantage to the civilians, but to him was an advantage. In the confusion one of the soldiers ran by the pot of hot tar, and Mooney took his chance then. He caused the soldier to trip on the pot and knock it over, but in such a way as to make it spill along the wall and not over the side. What tar would have fallen over the sides, he directed down the length of the wall. Nearby one of the villagers got his head together enough to see what had happened, and take advantage of it. He lit a torch, and threw it up on the wall where the tar was, setting it ablaze. By the time they realized what was going on, the soldiers who were in the area of the tar were too late. Their feet were stuck in the thick, ebony goo, and now were on fire, their screams only adding to the cacophony of noises.

Now the villagers were starting to get a sense of courage, in spite of their terror. Those who were close enough to see what had happened to the wall started to attack the soldiers that protected it, often resulting in their deaths.  
Aurora, I hope you re fairing better than this Mooney thought to himself as he ran towards the next section of wall that he was about to blow apart.

* * *

Meanwhile, just after Mooney ran off, Outai lifted the old woman to her feet. It was obvious that the woman wanted to run from her in fear, but she was too injured to do so.

"You demon!" the woman shrieked as Outai helped her to a wall where she could rest, "Your hands are as cold as death!"

"Woman, silence yourself!" Outai ordered, more for the fact that her shrieking would cause more panic. "I told you I shall not injure you and I mean every word of it, so you needn't fear for your health around me."

"And what of my soul?"

"Nothing will happen to your soul. Just tell me what is going on here and hold still so I can fix your injuries."

"That bastard king!" the woman shrieked as Outai began to examine her injuries.

"Silence! You speak lies! The king has been a wonderful man to all of us!"

"Silence yourself, you whelp! You know not what you speak! Thy words were once true - he did service us greatly. But now he's gone mad with power! He has already had several of his own villages cleansed of life!"

"What do you mean?" Outai inquired.

"He's murdered all in those villages! Man or woman, old or young, human or animal it means naught to him! All were murdered and left to rot in the streets, with no one to bury them. Even the farms outside the villages were not spared his murderous wrath."

"You mean..." Outai said dazedly.

Was what this woman said really true? Was the decimation of her village, the murder of her family, all by order of their beloved king? If so, why would he do such a thing? What had happened to him? Outai remembered where he had once gone through and visited each and every one of his villages just to see how people were doing. Those he visited on days when his mood was uplifted were gifted with fine raiment that he d brought on his trip, and the slave masters ordered to give their slaves a day free from slavery, to do as they wish. Her own village was one of them. How could such a kind man do such a thing? There was one answer that she could think of. The woman was lying. She was delusional. Her head must have been trampled, or hit the ground hard when she fell.

"No! It is not true!"

"It is! For sooth it is!" the woman yelled, "AND WE ARE NEXT!"

"I don t believe it!"

"Ye may believe what ye wish." The old woman said, now clearly tired, most likely from the hysteria, and from her injuries, which Outai surmised were fatal. "Whatever ye believe, it will not hide the fact that what I say is truth. "

"Woman, thy name?"

"Miranda."

"Miranda, stay here, and hold strong."

"Nay, my time has come, thou kind demon. "

The old woman was slipping away, and there was nothing she could do about it. She hated feeling this useless, but what could she do? She doubted any more that this woman was lying or delusional. She had checked the woman s head and found no trauma, so the only reason she might be delusional is because she was dying, and only a moment ago her mind was clear and sharp as ever, even in her old age.

"I am not a demon. " She said quietly, not knowing what to do or think.

"Thou liest to a dying woman, and to thyself." The woman said quietly as well, as though she could read Outai s mind right then and there, "Thy magic is not holy, and thy heart is filled with hatred, yet you treat this old dying woman with kindness, who should have been trampled to death. Answer me this before I die: Why?"

"As I said, I am not a demon. A demon would not care for the life of a human. But how did you know?"

"Old Miranda always can know the heart."

And with that the old woman went limp, slumped against the wall as she had been. If Outai could have shed tears then, they would have been streaming down her face in a river. However, she wasn't left with time to mourn. Even louder screams sounded behind her, about twenty meters from the gate. When she turned to look, a wide section of wall seemed to fall away onto some soldiers that were fighting off the civilians, crushing them to death. Only moments after, a soldier on the wall tripped over a pot of hot tar, and spilled it, yet not one drop fell from the wall itself. Instead, it flowed in a stream along the length of the wall as far as it would go, gluing the feet of the soldiers on the wall to the wall itself. She watched as a torch was lit, and flung up on the stream of tar, lighting it and the soldiers on fire. She was about to douse the flames, when Mooney contacted her with his mind. It was still weird to her how he could do that, but it was an effective means of communication between them.

_STOP!_ He ordered, as if to already know that she planned to put out the blaze on the wall,_ They are in the way. I cannot free these people with them in the way!_

_But they are humans too! They may be working for the man who ordered this, but they do not deserve this!_ She argued.

_And what of the men you came here to punish? Are they not human as well?_ _These humans are killing each other. These soldiers are attacking civilians who have no fighting chance. I am giving them a fighting chance by decimating the numbers of the guards._

_You were supposed to open a way! Not murder people!_

_They are murdering each other! I am trying to stop the hysteria, but there's a roadblock and I have to get it out of the way first!_

_That doesn't mean killing them!_

_Yes! Remember that for the men you want revenge on!_

As if on cue, a voice came from behind. It was the voice of a man, and it was thick with malice. She could almost hear the blood thirst on his voice. Even more, she recognized the voice. Outai whirled around and stood face to face with him.

"Thou shalt not run!" he said with a menacing grin as he drew his sword quickly.

In one smooth, fluid motion, his sword was out of it s scabbard, it's blade flying for her throat. Outai remembered the scene where her husband had been killed in the same manner, and remembered it. This was the man that had murdered her husband, and his companion was the one that impaled her son and herself.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed as she ducked his sword and punched him square in the solar plexus, as she had been taught by her master.

The man doubled over in pain, temporarily not breathing. She had knocked the wind out of him, and that single punch left her with a sense of gratification. She had put him in pain, and wanted to see him in more pain. After what he had done to her family, he deserved it.

"Wench! You dare hit a king's guard?" he screamed once he regained his breath.

"There is nothing you can do to me that you've not done already!" she screamed back while at the same time sweeping his feet out from underneath him with a clean sickle sweep of her leg.

The man fell to the ground, hitting his head hard. Before he could move, she put her foot on his throat and began to add pressure. His hands grasped at her ankle, but she did not move. His breathing was becoming labored now that his airway was being slowly shut. The weight of her foot alone had to be excruciating.

"Wh-who are you?"

"You dare forget those you've murdered?"

"It was orders from the king! I swear it!"

"You seemed to enjoy those orders. You hypocrite! You murder without thought, with pleasure even, yet you beg for your life! Tell me! What was the purpose of this order, besides bloodshed?"

"He's mad! He wants to use magic to make a stone that will give him eternal life!"

"You lie!"

"I speak the truth! Now please, let me go! I'll do what you want!"

"I want my family back!" she screamed as she knelt to stare the man in the eye.

As she did so, she pulled a knife she had hidden in her boot, and pressed the blade to his throat.

"May your soul burn in hell!" She screamed.

In one quick motion, she drew the blade across his throat, pressing in deep. She severed the carotid artery, causing his blood to spray up like a crimson fountain and spill all over her.

_Satisfied now?_ Came Mooney's voice in her head.

_No. There is one more. Two, if you count the king._

_Why him?_

_He ordered that massacre, and several others. All in the name of using our lives for some magic that will bring him eternal life._

_Forget them for now! Give me a hand! These people are out of control._

_Where are you?_

_Start on the other side of the gate. I ll meet up with you._

Outai tried to rush to the other side of what used to be the only gate into the village, but there were too many people still rushing about. She had to push and shove her way through the crowds of hysteric people, though on her side it wasn't nearly as bad. Most were trying to escape through the holes that Mooney was making, which now numbered two, nearing three. They were spaced twenty meters apart, and were twenty meters in width.

When Outai finally did make it to the wall, she noticed what Mooney had noticed that the rock was strong, but the mortar that held it firmly was the weak point. Even she could figure out how to blast a hole in the wall. She lay her hand on the wall, trying not to be pushed to the ground in spite of the crowd, and used the moisture from the ground to saturate the mortar between the rocks. From there she froze the moisture instantly. However, she was far less careful about adding to the hysteria than Mooney had been. Her freezing technique caused the wall to not only crumble, but explode. She tried to keep most of the rock from hitting civilians and soldiers around her, as well as herself, but it was no use. Several people were hit with rocks, being severely injured, or even killed. She herself was hit in the head hard by a flying stone, and knocked unconscious.

* * *

Mooney had heard an explosion and already knew what it was before he saw it. There was only one thing it could be, since Outai still had a long way to go with using her telekinesis on heavy objects such as large rocks. Without that control, the rocks would explode outwards and injure people. His biggest concern, however, was her close proximity to the explosion. She still couldn't freeze things at a distance, so she would have to be close to whatever she was freezing. Being that close could be fatal to her, and he didn't want to go through that again.

You idiot! He chastised her telepathically, you should have gone slower! One level at a time, or take out just the bottom row! However this time there was no response. Mooney quickly finished the hole he had started his fourth one now and pushed his way through the crowd. There weren't as many people where Outai was because all the extra exits that he created were on the other side. However, those that were there were either severely injured, or dead. By the time he finally saw Outai and got to her, she was out cold. Her mask had broken where a rock had hit it and knocked her out. There was a large hole in her skin, revealing shattered bone tissue that poked into her brain. He knew the wound had to have been fatal, and knowing that made his heart sink. He failed again. How could he be so careless? What if she didn't come back again?

However, before he could do anything, he noticed that the fragments of her skull started to piece themselves back together, and her skin healed over it. When it was all done, there was no sign that anything had happened at all, save for a large chunk of clay missing from her mask. Though her wound was healed, there was no way to tell if she was really alive or not. Taking advantage of the confusion, he wrapped Outai s arm around the back of his neck, and wrapped his other arm around her waist and lifted her to her feet. She was very heavy, especially since she was frozen, but he could handle it. He had to.

"Dumb kid." He said with a grunt as he lifted her and began to carry her towards the castle.

Just as he entered the castle, it seemed the entire land for miles around him glowed bright red. What was this light, this energy? Where was it coming from? Whatever it was, it was draining him badly. He looked around and the few that remained screamed in agony, civilian and soldier alike. They grasped at their bodies as if in pain, and then, to his terror, began to dissolve into thin air before him. Even to him the pain was excruciating, causing him to scream out in pain. Outai at least was saved from this hell by her unconscious or even dead, state. The pain only continued to escalate, until the world went dark around him and he crumpled to the ground, landing on top of the limp Outai.


	11. Awakening

Outai awoke moments later, dazed and confused. For a moment she once again remembered everything, but that didn't last long. Once she realized where she was, it all came back to her, or what there was to come back. She felt a weight on top of her and pushed it aside so she could sit up. She looked around her, but all she could see was the mess left behind from the panicking horde that was trying to leave the castle. Carts that were once attached to animals were tipped over, spilling their contents all over the place. There were countless footprints in the mud, and the holes that she and Mooney had made in the walls were still there, with rocks and mortar strewn about haplessly. However, something was amiss. At first she couldn't put her finger on it, but a moment later she realized what it was. There was no life about them. There were no panicking humans trampling each other to try and escape. There were no guards to kill those who dared to escape. There were no children crying in fear. There were no animals braying and crying in fear. There was nothing, not even blood on the ground where others had been trampled to death. The air was dead still, leaving behind only an eerie silence.

"Mooney, what's going on? Where did everyone go?" Outai asked.

However, Mooney didn't respond.

"Mooney?"

Then it struck her. When she woke up there was a weight on her, and it was too soft to be a rock. Outai looked behind her where she had pushed the weight off of herself so she could stand, and saw Mooney laying on the ground lifelessly. His face was covered in mud where he had been face down on top of her, and mud caked the hairline around his face. He did not move, did not even twitch when she called out his name, and she was afraid he'd been killed. In spite of her still existing distrust for him, she'd grown to call him her friend, especially since he was all she had left now. She didn't want to think of him as being dead as well.

"Mooney, wake up. This is a bad joke."

Again there was no answer. This time she knelt down next to him and began to shake him. Maybe he was just asleep, and needed some jostling to wake him up.

"Come on, this isn't funny! Wake up damnit!"

Again he didn't move. Outai feared the worst now. She didn't know what had happened, but whatever it was had likely killed her only friend. Her heart sank to her stomach once again. She picked the boy up in her arms the best she could, cradling his head. She looked at him for a moment, hoping he would wake up soon, but he did not. She pulled him into a hug, her own mud caked dress smearing mud onto his otherwise clean shirt – clean all but for the spatters of blood spilled by the soldiers he had killed – his head hanging limply over her shoulder.

"Don't leave me alone! Come back!" she cried as she cradled the limp cat boy in her arms.

She didn't want to think of him as dead, but right now she didn't have any other possibilities in her mind. He wouldn't move, not even when she shook him. Various thoughts raced through her head, including suicide. Why not? She'd lost her family, and the only friend she had left was now limp in her arms, as if dead. What was left? She could get revenge on that disgrace of a king, and swore she would, but what would come after that?

"Don't give up." A voice said, very close to her right ear.

This voice surprised Outai. She looked around and saw no one.

"I told you, you're not alone." Came the voice again.

It was Mooney's voice, and she knew it. But he was dead, wasn't he? Outai pulled him away from herself and looked at him. His eyes were about half way open, revealing his baby blue eyes, and he wore a weary grin.

"MOONEY!" she said excitedly as she hugged him again, tightly.

"GAH!" Mooney yelped in pain, "Outai, Mooney can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry about that." Outai said as she loosened her grip, "Are you okay?"

"Apparently so."

"What happened?"

"Well, after you blew a hole in that wall and killed yourself with some of the rock that exploded out—"

"I died again? Then how am I still alive?"

"I have a suspicion, and I want to show you before you go after that king. You will need it. Anyway, after that, I tried to carry you to the castle, but everything began to glow red, and everyone that was here started screaming in pain. Then they all dissolved. It hurt me too, like being burned alive."

"Then how are we still here if everyone else dissolved? And what made them dissolve?"

"I think I know, now that I think about it."

"Well, what is it?"

"On one of my many travels while you were growing up, I came across some people studying a magic that is native to this planet. I didn't learn much about it, except that, unlike our magic, theirs is bound by the laws of this planet's nature. However, there was a rumor going around that this magic could be used to make a stone that could bypass all the laws of nature, without consequence. I think it was that magic that killed everyone."

"But…why would anyone do that?"

"To make the stone. One of the people I talked to was particularly talented with this magic, which they call alchemy. He said that there was a way to make the stone – which he called the Philosopher's Stone – but that it would be very costly. The most costly thing I can think of is human life."

"So the stone that the king was trying to make, and was killing people to do so was….?"

"The Philosopher's Stone. I think he may have been successful. In that case, we are in a very dangerous predicament. If he really does have that stone, he can do whatever he wants, make whatever he wants, without natural consequence. He'll have unlimited power, and considering what he did to make it – assuming he was successful – I doubt he'll have any trouble using it to make people do whatever he wants, either through terrorism or murder."

"Then what do we do?"

"Usually that's my question to you, but this time I already know the answer. There's one way we can beat him, and that's if we get the stone from him."

"How will we do that? He'll use it against us."

"That is true, but we have a secret weapon, something you don't know about yet."

"What is it?"

"Follow me. I'll tell you everything on the way."

A/N: So sorry everyone! I've been busy moving and only got internuts service today. Yes, I said internuts. Anyway, I'm online now, and things should be a bit more steady now.

P.S. I LOVE reviews. Send them!


	12. Light

It was a long walk getting back to the cave, but that was all right. There was a lot for Mooney to explain, even for a trip from the castle to a distant cave. However, they travelled slowly since they were both very weary from their trials from the day, so Mooney was given plenty of time. He told her everything, from beginning to end, including about her previous home. Outai was skeptical at first, and thought he had hit his head hard or was delusional. However, when he challenged her to read his mind and see if it was not true, she found he was in his right mind. Now that she had seen that what he said was indeed the truth, she was horrified. Even more, it explained the unquenchable thirst for revenge that she had, and the ever growing hatred she bore for humans. However, this also brought up more questions than what had been answered. Why did she have to be the chosen vessel for Holy? Why were they immortal? Why was her body frozen, but not his? She supposed she would find out eventually.

Though the trip seemed short since so much talking had been done, it was still a long distance to the cave. However, when they arrived, Outai was astounded. The room itself was filled with crystals, much like the cavern that her family was buried in. However, this one was much less accessible. Mooney had to make a doorway for Outai using his abilities to manipulate earth. Crystal stalactites stretched down several feet from a ceiling that was no less than ten feet high. Crystal stalagmites reached up several feet as well, some meeting with their stalactite siblings that hung from the ceiling. Each crystal seemed to reflect and magnify the light given off by a singular crystal that rested atop a pedestal in the middle of the room. The light in the room was almost blinding, but after a few minutes, their eyes adjusted.

"Mooney…What is this?" Outai asked in awe, noticing immediately that the hatred and the pain she felt inside had considerably ebbed since they entered the crystal cavern.

"That is Holy." Mooney answered calmly.

Outai walked up to the pedestal silently. Each step that brought her closer, also brought her an increasing feeling of peacefulness that she had never known before, not even when she was alive with her family. Little by little, the dark beast inside her that threatened to break it's cage and ruin her sanity was tamed, forced back by the power of holy alone. And, little by little, the crystal glowed brighter as Outai approached it.

"Mooney…what's this I feel?"

"It's peace. This room is always a comfort to me, because the pains of this world stand no chance against holy. It's like I'm home again."

"Everyone…everyone felt like this?"

"Yes. Because of Holy, there was no fighting, and hence no wars. Everything was peaceful, truly a utopian society. Holy seems happy to see you."

"How can you tell?"

"It's glowing brighter as you approach it. And the power I feel from it is increasing. Don't you feel it?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead, take the crystal."

As if in a trance, Outai stepped up to the pedestal, which now was glowing brighter than the noon day sun. She picked it up in her gloved hands. A feeling of overwhelming warmth and peacefulness washed through her immediately. For the first time since her family died, she felt whole again. Suddenly, the crystal floated up out of her hands, which in turn frightened her a bit.

"Mooney, what's going on? Are you doing this?"

"No." he replied calmly, "Holy is doing this by itself. Just relax, it won't hurt you."

As he spoke, the crystal floated towards Outai, aiming for the center of her chest. This frightened her even more. She wanted to move, to get out of the way, but she couldn't make her feet move.

"Mooney! Make it stop!" Outai screamed in fright.

The crystal then seemingly dissolved into her chest, leaving behind a bright glow where it had entered. Suddenly, her whole body began to glow, starting with where Holy had entered and spreading outward.

"!" she screamed as her whole body glowed brighter than day.

Outai was in no real pain, but the whole thing scared her badly. Just what was going on, and why? Her whole body glowed, and she doubled over, grabbing her head. Suddenly, pure white, glistening, feathery wings resembling those of the archangels of heaven sprouted from her back, growing until each wing was longer than she was in height. With them sprouted a pair of fairy like wings made out of pure light. Her once black clothes now glowed bright white all over, and a golden crescent moon with a star on it, resembling Mooney's, glowed in the middle of her head. She straightened herself, and opened her eyes, which she had closed in fear previously, revealing bright white glowing eyes. She looked at her hands, noting the bright white gloves, and then her arms, which were still frozen, but seemed to glow on their own.

"Mooney…" she said, still frightened, and even more so when her voice didn't quite sound like her own, but more like her voice combined with someone else's, "Wh-what is this?"

"This is your holy form, your holy transformation." Mooney said, still as cool as a cucumber.

"Make it go away!"

"Only you can do that. Does it hurt you?"

"N-no."

"Then why are you afraid?"

"Isn't it obvious? First I'm a frozen freak, and now I'm a glowing frozen freak. What's the point of this?"

"In this form, you can use Holy to help people. I'll train you the best I can with it later, but I'm afraid I won't be able to help you much, since only the priests and priestesses could use holy."

"So, Holy did this to them, too?"

"No. It's only done this to you because you are the vessel."

"I am a vessel to no one! I am myself! Make it go away!"

"I cannot. Only you can do that."

"How?"

"You are the boss, you command it. The priests and priestesses used holy through communication with it. My guess is that you just need to communicate with it."

"How do I do that?"

"That, I do not know."

Suddenly Outai noticed something new. She felt very, very tired. With her body the way it was, and with how much she had trained, such a thing should be impossible. She had tamed her ice demon within. Did this mean she now had to tame holy? Either way, all she knew was she could no longer stay awake. It was as if her energy had been siphoned out suddenly, leaving her eyelids to feel like lead and her body to follow suit. The glowing eventually shrank back to the source in her chest, and died down to nothing, leaving behind only her black attire, and a pair of pure white angel wings.

Since their eyes were used to the light, Mooney had to form a fire ball in his hand to light the cave. What he saw was Outai on the floor of the cavern, unconscious. He had felt a sudden burst of energy when she transformed, and guessed that the transformation had taken up all her energy, making her collapse.

"You really are troublesome some times." He told her quietly as he sat next to her and waited for her to wake up. "Next time, don't fight it. You'll consume less energy this way."


	13. A Troublesome Spirit

Several hours passed as Outai slept a deep and dreamless sleep. What finally aroused her to waking was the sound of something grinding against metal. The sound was faint at first, but gradually seemed to grow louder, and more annoying. She wished it would just stop, but there was no such luck. Who was doing that anyway? She tried to open her eyes, but they were like lead. She tried to move her limbs some how, but she felt too weak to move. However, she would not give up. She kept trying until, finally, her eyes slowly opened, revealing the source of the sound. Right next to her was Mooney, grinding a stone along the edge of his sword to sharpen it. In front of him was a ball of fire, lighting the area for him so he could see. The light at first was blinding, but as her eyes adjusted she found it was just above five candles worth of light.

"You know…" Outai said, finally finding her voice, yet still unable to move, "that really is quite annoying."

"Huh? Oh! You're awake!" Mooney said with a grin as he set his sword and whetting stone aside, "It's about time! Can you get up?"

"Not yet. My body refuses to listen to me and move."

"Strange…usually a rest that long would refresh you completely. I know you're not ill, because of your new physiology. Then again, when you transformed I felt a huge surge of energy from you. Do you mind if I do a diagnostic on your energy and find out why?"

"You can do that?"

"Yeah. In the time I spent traveling, I found out I can do that, but only with you, and that somehow I can also act as an adapter, absorbing energy from this planet and turning it into the energy your body can use."

"Wait, I can use this planets energy, can't I?"

"Just small amounts of thermal energy. The rest is in a different wavelength than your body can use."

"So, why is it that you can use it and I cannot?"

"I don't know. But I suspect that all that has happened to our bodies has something to do with holy. I hope you don't mind, but I searched your mind while you slept. Unlike me, who's tainted mind has been purified, the evil that is in your mind is still there, in spite of holy being there. I think holy has not gotten rid of it yet because it has become a part of you so much that complete detachment would cause the rapid decay and eventual permanent breakdown of your psyche. In other words, you'd lose your mind and never get it back."

"So, I'm stuck with it?"

"Yeah. I was hoping that holy would purify your mind so you could do what was needed without losing your sanity, but apparently all it can do is keep the evil inside in check. Anyway, we don't have much time. If that maniac really does have the stone, we must hurry and get it from him and destroy it."

"How will we do that? I still cannot move."

"For now, you will rest until you can control your body and fight efficiently. I have a feeling he won't just hand it over, even if we say 'pretty please, with sugar and cherries on top'."

"Hey, what about that diagnostic you said you would do?"

"Oh, I'm doing it right now as we speak. Right now, it seems like your well of energy has expanded three hundred fold or more. So, since you can handle and use more energy, it takes longer to completely restore. However, I'm not done so I cannot accurately calculate just how much your well of energy has increased. I suspect that is also due to holy."

"What a troublesome spirit…" Outai said quietly, feeling herself drifting once more, her eyelids feeling like lead, "It takes…so much energy…and creates…so many problems…just for… it's own sake…"

"You mustn't say that!" Mooney chided her, "Without holy our home planet would have been destroyed long ago, by our own hands! Holy brought us peace and prosperity, and taught us how to take care of ourselves, each other, and the planet."

Mooney looked over to Outai again, to look her in the eye and chide her, but she was once again fast asleep.

"Damn fool," Mooney grumbled, "If only your mother could be here to see you now, or at least train you."


	14. A Heart to Heart With Holy

All around her was nothing but blinding white. Not a sound was heard, not a movement was made. No scenery, no people, no nothing. All that was there was Outai. She stood up straight, and began to look around her, hoping for some sort of scenery, some sign of life. Anything would be better than this pure, blinding emptiness. Granted, the light was better than darkness, but not by much. It was so still and quiet that the eerieness from that alone equaled the noise and pain of darkness.

Just as she was about to scream, to make some sort of noise, she heard a small, still voice. It was soothing, calm, and comforting all at once. The voice was, however, foreign to her. It was not the voice of her subconscious, nor was it the voice of Mooney or anyone else she knew. Yet, at the same time it felt familiar to her. She turned around, wanting to face the source of the voice, and found what she thought at first was an angel. What she saw, was a person who glowed with a heavenly and ethereal glow, and seemed to radiate a calm, healing aura. She could not make out any kind of gender, but could tell they had light hair and eyes, and it seemed to her like whoever, or whatever, it was, was smiling a sad, but relieved smile.

"Who are you?" she asked, surprised at the sound of her own voice.

"I am Holy."

"You are...able to talk o me?"

"More like you are able to talk to me."

"Why are you here?"

"We need to talk."

"I don't want you here."

"You have no choice."

"Why did you go into my body like that?"

"I needed a host. I knew something terrible was going to happen, and there was nothing I could do about it without a host. So, you were born. However, my estimation of time was horribly wrong. The event I had predicted came earlier than I thought. There was no time to train you so that we could work together to protect your home world."

"My...home planet?" Outai echoed. If she could have paled, she would have at the realization that her home planet had been destroyed, and she could do nothing about it, that she wasn't able to save a planet.

Outai's knees buckled beneath her, forcing her to slump to her knees. Her body began to shiver, but not because she felt cold. She was always cold, and was used to that by now, but now this was from something else.

"So, if I was born to protect my planet and failed, why are you keeping me alive like this? What is the point?"

"Something terrible is about to happen. If you don't stop it, then the same thing could possibly happen here." Holy said, it's smile fading.

"Mooney told me about what happened." Outai said, her body too weak to move, and not wanting to move and risk showing her face to the entity she was growing to hate, "The evil that came to that planet. I've seen it here, in everyone's hearts. I heard we were like this planet once. So why don't you just purify the planet and leave me alone?"

"Because the inhabitants are not ready for me. On your planet, everyone was ready to accept peace and make their world an eden. This race is not ready for it, and I have yet to see when they will be. I cannot force that on to them. If I did, it would crush everything, especially since I would have to use your power."

"Looks to me like the evil in their own hearts is already crushing them. It would be an easier end."

"Tell me, if I force on them what they are not ready for, then what would be the point of free will?"

"Why not at least intervene and help out?"

"I am, but I must use you for that, as I have no body."

"Sounds to me like you need me more than I need you. I've been meaning to ask, but why is it you're talking to me, and not Mooney? Is he not good enough for you?"

"He is, but he lacks the spiritual capacity to be able to handle talking to me. On your world, your parents were the strongest people in the land spiritually, and thus were the strongest priest and priestess. This has been given to you and multiplied two hundred fold. However, not everyone had that capacity. Some could not hear me. Mooney is one of them. He found out the hard way the answer to the question he had asked me before he found you."

"So am I really the only one you'll pick on? Why not someone else?"

"Only you can handle it."

Outai sighed to herself. This spirit truly was troublesome.

"Fine, whatever. But don't try to possess me and make me do things against my will."

"I never intended to. Rather, I am here to train you, as your dear mother is...currently unable to. When you transform, you and I become one, but it is you that moves and makes the decisions. I just lend my power. You need to learn how to use that power efficiently."

"Well, if you won't go away then I might as well use you. But once my role is over, I want you to leave me alone, and I mean that in every sense."

"You know what this entails, don't you?"

"Yeah. You're the one keeping me alive, and if you leave me alone I can be with my family. Tell me one more thing, why is it I am frozen and dead, and Mooney merely heals and remains alive?"

"To prevent you from feeling any more pain, or becoming weak due to exhaustion, hunger or sickness, I had to do something. Ultimately, however, it was your own power with freezing things that took over and froze you. True, you are the strongest in spirit so that you can use me, but you are also the strongest from your country, the Ice country. Since at the time you died you didn't know how to control it, and still cannot fully control it, you will remain frozen like that."

"What about Mooney? Why not do the same for him?"

"So you can still keep in touch with your humanity, and not forget that, though you are powerful, you have your limitations, even for being dead. Besides, you can handle it better than he can."

"That's pretty cruel of you. Are we going to train now so you can leave me the hell alone?"

"Your training will begin the next time you use me."

"Then go away and let me rest." Outai spat bitterly.

Outai hadn't actually expected holy to go away as requested, so she was surprised when the ethereal being suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only a slowly dimming light that soon became an enveloping, but oddly quiet darkness. She had expected to wake up soon, and when she didn't panic arose in her chest. She didn't like the darkness. She never had, not since meeting the man she later married and bore a child with. The darkness scared her, and in this darkness it was noisy, full of tears both of anger and of pain. But this darkness was different. This darkness was heavy, but quiet. This darkness was the worst type of darkness of all. She didn't recognize it, and no matter how much she willed the light to shine, it did not. It weighed so heavily on her, crushing not her body, but her very soul, that she began to cry out in pain. Or at least she tried to. Only adding to her growing horror was that she could not scream, not even a little whisper of a scream. In this terrifying darkness, she did not see, but felt a pair of eyes watching her, eyes full of evil.

"No matter where you go or what you do," This darkness said to her, "I am always with you. Once Holy is done with you, it will be my turn, and then you'll know what true power is."

Outai sat up stock straight. If she had been able to, she would have been drenched in a cold sweat, and her breathing would be nothing more or less than gasps for air. For a moment she forgot where she was. She thought she was still in the dream with the darkness, and tried once more to scream, as if screaming would make the darkness go away. She, of course, could utter no sound, but screamed with her mind, much to Mooney's dismay. The mental scream was ear splitting, but it wasn't his ears that hurt. Instead, his head hurt as he could hear inside his mind the terrible, agonizing scream of Outai.

"Hey! Jeez, keep it down!" he complained as he covered his ears, as if it would keep the noise in his head out.

Only then did Outai realize that there was still a small ember of a fire going next to her. She looked over to Mooney with her eyes wide open.

"Damn, that must've been a helluva nightmare." he said, rubbing his throbbing temples and trying to sound a bit more light hearted, to put Outai at ease.

"S-sorry..." she stuttered as she realized that she was now awake, and the only darkness around her was the natural darkness of the cave they were in.

"I take it Holy finally contacted you." he said as the throbbing pain in his skull finally began to ebb a bit.

"How did you know?"

"You were mumbling in your sleep. Whatever you guys talked about, it must've made you really upset. Even for me it was difficult to keep this little fire going, let alone keep from freezing to death. Not that dying would really matter anyway."

"S-sorry..."

"Eh, don't worry about it. That last part, though..." he said, now turning more serious, "For a minute I couldn't sense you, and when I finally did you were screaming in my head. What happened there?"

"I saw...the darkness..." Outai said, trying to piece everything together in her mind. "I saw something...It was so...heavy and terrible. It spoke to me. I tried to scream and couldn't."

"Well you were screaming, but you couldn't hear it apparently."

"Sorry..."

"So, what did it say?"

"'No matter where you go or what you do I am always with you. Once Holy is done with you, it will be my turn, and then you'll know what true power is.'"

"Looks like you're going to have to learn to relax and let Holy take care of things in there." Mooney said somberly.

"Do you know this darkness?"

"Yeah. It's the one that killed everyone."


	15. Time Passes

Time passed by at what first seemed like a crawl. For years after eventually fighting and killing the crazed madman of a ruler who had obtained the Philosopher's Stone - though not without great difficulty and dying a few more times - Outai and Moonstar wondered the land. Since Outai herself could not use the stone for reasons she still had yet to understand, she instead had a locket fitted to hold the stone. This locket was put on a strong metal chain which she wore around her neck at all times. She would have destroyed it, except that they both knew that it had taken hundreds of lives to create it, and to destroy it would mean that all those who had died for this stone would have died in vain. Instead, they opted to wonder the lands, looking for the perfect person to give it to. But with evil ever inhabiting the minds of humans, finding such person was like the needle in the proverbial hay stack.

So, as they travelled the lands, and as time passed, Mooney continued to protect Outai, while Outai continued to mourn the loss of her family. Mooney had hoped that she would eventually cope with their deaths and her current existence, but that never came to pass. With each passing year, each passing day, she seemed to deteriorate more and more, the weight of her past heartbreaks and the guilt of not being able to save her own people as she was born to do weighing on her more and more each day. Equally disturbing, if not more so, was the fact that he began to grow more fond of her. He had watched her grow up and live a normal life, and after her death he protected her diligently, watching over her like a big brother would. Most of the time they even played the part of brother and sister. But as time passed, this began to change. He began to grow more and more fond of the woman he was sworn to protect, no matter how depressed she was.

At first he denied it. It was a passing thing, and it would go away soon enough when her emotional stubbornness and depression annoyed him enough. However, it never did. Instead, his feelings grew stronger and stronger. He tried to drive himself away, tried to convince himself it would never work because she was still stuck on her family, and her body was still dead and frozen. Nothing could happen between them. Still, his feelings would not be denied.

Recently, however, his concern for his friend increased more and more. Outai had become more reclusive and quiet. He didn't need to be telepathic to see the mental barrier she was putting up around herself to keep him out, and he couldn't help but wonder why. He could no longer read her mind, because every time he tried, he couldn't break through, so he never knew what was going on inside her head. When he would ask, she would just say nothing and continue on. Even more worrisome was that the last few days he had felt a dark aura about her, likely caused by her deep depression.

"Outai," he finally said in exasperation at her behavior as they sat next to a fire he had built, watching as his dinner of fish cooked over the low flames, "what's up? What's eating you?"

"Nothing is eating me." she said simply and quietly.

"Don't lie to me. You know I hate that."

"I'm not lying." she snapped back at him, not drawing her gaze from the flames that threatened to consume the fish.

"Then why are you always so quiet and irritable any more? Why won't you talk to me? Have I done something wrong?"

Outai seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. He, of all people, should have known what was wrong, so why was he asking? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? It was best for him if he did anyway. He'd seen just as much heartache as her, if not more, and it was her fault. If he hadn't known her, then he wouldn't have seen so much heartache. Since getting the stone, wherever they went they were chased down, chased out, hunted, or even killed as monsters or witches. They were beaten, hated, feared, and un-welcomed wherever they went, and the only reason Mooney would have a hot meal is if they hunted it down and cooked it themselves, or if Mooney degraded himself to behaving like a normal cat to beg some food off of local villagers. Even in doing that he was often chased away by people in town, though welcomed by farmers who offered him mice. Outai honestly believed that all of those hardships were because she was such a freak, and incapable of protecting anyone. What was the point in her birth anyway, if it was too late to do what she was born to do?

"Outai?" Mooney asked, seeing the faraway look in her eyes, breaking through her thoughts.

"It's nothing."

"Holy! Would you just stop lying? I could tell you were thinking about something deep, even without reading your mind."

"And what is it to you what I think? Why do you want to know? Why are you so adamant about it?"

Mooney blushed a bit. He was both embarrassed that he might have possibly been found out - Holy knew she could break through his defenses easily without him knowing it - and angry at her for being so selfish.

"Why are you being so damned stubborn?" he practically shouted. "I'm trying to help you!"

"Why?" Outai snapped at him, this time glaring at him in the eye and causing him to shrink back a bit in fear, "Because it's your job? Do yourself a favor and stop trying to help, because I don't need it or want it."

Those words were sharp and painful to him. Though he was relieved that she hadn't realized his feelings for her, he was still hurt that she would accuse him of only hanging around because he had promised her mother he would. It was more than that. He WANTED to be around her, to protect her and keep her safe from harm. He LIKED being around her, even when she was in moods such as this. This hurt came also with anger, which showed as his face flushed even more.

"HOLY DAMNIT OUTAI!" he screamed at her, and this time it was her turn to shrink back a bit, "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING TO BE YOUR FRIEND?"

"And why is that?" she screamed back, standing up, "I never asked you to be my friend! God, Mooney, you're so annoying! Just leave me the hell alone!"

Outai was just as angry, but really she had screamed at him to push him away. It was true, he could be annoying at times, lecturing her like a child and treating her like a little sister, but she was glad to have him as a friend. To be honest, she partly didn't want to push him away, but she knew it was in his best interest. If she pushed him away far enough, then he wouldn't be hurt any more, and she would be free to explore ways that she could go to be with her family. Holy knew that's what she wanted most.

"I never wanted you to be my friend!" she continued to scream, hoping to push him away more, "All you ever did was annoy me! Hell, you couldn't even protect me from that wall that crushed my skull and killed me the second time, so what makes you think you can protect me from anything else, and why would you want to? Go do both of us a favor and jump off a cliff!"

Outai hated saying such things, but she knew it was for the best if he hated her, no matter what his duty was. And for a moment, it worked. Mooney was so angry at her that he considered really leaving her alone, but knew deep down that he couldn't. He cared too much about her to do that, and that was completely ignoring his duty, which he would be damned if he failed again. However, her words hit him hard, hurting him deeply. Mooney wasn't the type to get sad easily, much less cry. Hell, the only thing that had managed to make him cry in the past was the death of Outai and the destruction of his world. But this time her words hit so hard that the tears that had been threatening to break through the cage of his eye lids finally rolled down his cheeks, and his entire body shook as he forced back the sobs that threatened to escape his throat. He wanted to tell her off, beat the sense back into her, and hold her close all at once, but he couldn't move. Though mostly from his own emotions, it was also due to Outai holding him in place telekinetically, which she could easily do now that she had surpassed him both in telepathy and in telekinesis. His mind was in a jumble, and could not see that she was planning all of this.

I'm sorry, my friend, she told herself quietly, but this is the only way to save us both a lot of pain later.

Outai walked away, storming through the forest where they had been camping for the night. Before long she began to run. She wanted to get as far away from him as she could, as fast as she could. She knew that with the increased distance her telekinesis would become weaker and weaker, until he could free himself. By the time he did that, she wanted to be far enough away that he couldn't save her again. She had long since planned out the entire argument, and planned what she would do afterward. Though she hadn't quite figured out how to stay dead, she figured she would just keep trying until one of them worked. Impaling hadn't worked, and having her brain smashed by rocks hadn't worked, so those were quickly ruled out. During one of the many times they were hunted she had been caught and hung. That didn't work since she had no need to breath anyway, nor did drowning. Starvation obviously wouldn't work either. That narrowed down the list pretty far. She wasn't sure that bleeding out would work well, since she had pretty well done that the first time she died. However, when she was impaled it had pierced her vital organs anyway, so for all she knew bleeding out was a possibility.

That's right, a small voice said in her head. The voice was still and small, like Holy, but it was not Holy's voice. It was her own. You've died a lot, and each time you woke up, you were disappointed to not be with your family. Don't you wonder how many times Holy can save your sorry ass? How many lives do you have? Let's try them all and see which one brings you to your family. They've waited so long as it is.

In the beginning, Outai had learned to ignore this voice. But as time passed, and as she grew more and more depressed and bitter, she began to listen more. She knew it was not quite the evil stored away in her mind, but instead was her own damaged psyche. As she saw it, she was doing the world a favor. Something eternal like herself should never exist, especially not when given so much power, and still having the threat of evil taking over her mind and making her do terrible things. It was better this way. Or at least, that's what she told herself.

When Outai was sure she was far enough away, she tucked herself away in a little cave she had spied the night before as they wondered through the forest. It was not very deep, like the cave her family rested in, nor was it tall. In fact, she had to crawl on all fours just to get in, and even then it was only big enough for her to curl up in, lying on her side in a fetal position. However, this cave was also blocked by shrubbery. Once Mooney was free, which would not be long from now, he would be hard pressed to find her, especially since she had been using her time in her depression to not only block him from her mind, but hide her brain waves as well.

Outai had to do some looking, but when she found it, she was pleased to find it was still untouched. Knowing she wouldn't be able to reach it later, she pulled a hunting knife she carried with her for when she would catch meals for Mooney from the pouch around her waist that held it, and got down on her hands and knees. She relished the scent of the bush that she was crawling through, which smelled sweetly of the berries that were just beginning to ripen on it, as well as the smell of the damp earth beneath her. Berries that were squished beneath her hand froze in place as the little bits of moisture soaked through the gloves enough to make them do so, and berries that her knees and feet squished were ignored. She crawled into the little space and lay on her left side, carefully fluffing up the shrubbery behind her so that Mooney would not find the evidence of her being there. In a way, the smell of the damp earth, the chill of the late evening air, and being curled up in a tiny cave into a fetal position were comforting to her. If her face had not been frozen, she would have smiled to herself a bit as she stared at the blade in her hand, gazing at what would have been her reflection if there had been enough light to cause one. Calling forth a bit of Holy's power, she made the hand with the hunting knife glow a bit so she could see what she was doing. Her eyes twitched a bit as the blade bit her skin, but she couldn't help but giggle to herself as she watched the cold, slow flowing blood leave her body through the small vein she had severed. Though her wrist was sore from this, she managed to grasp the knife in the injured hand, and repeat this step for her other wrist as well. She wanted to be sure she would be dead, and watched in rapture as her blood began to stain the ground beneath her. As moments passed into minutes, she felt herself grow weaker and weaker and could feel the world growing colder and darker with each passing moment.

When Mooney finally gathered himself to realize what was going on, he tried to move, but it was useless. His body would not budge, save to breath and circulate blood. He knew the situation was dire, and not just because Outai had initiated an argument with him in which she had hurt him badly. He knew her better than that. She would never say such things to him, much less restrain him like this. Something definitely wasn't right, and once he gathered himself enough to realize it, he knew what it was. She had been trying to make him hate her, and at first he couldn't figure out why. They had been great friends over the years since they both had died the first time, so why try to make him hate her? But then it hit him. Her strange behavior, especially that day, the argument, and her paralyzing him. She was planning to hurt herself, and he knew it would end badly.

DAMNIT OUTAI! he screamed at her mentally, hoping she could hear him, YOU CAN'T DIE!

However, as time passed he realized that her hold on him had become weaker. He hoped this was because of distance, and not because she was dying. He wanted to chase after her and knock some sense into her, but as it was he still couldn't break her spell on him. At least not yet. Once again he had to sit and wait patiently while Outai was in danger, this time from herself.

After what seemed like forever, her hold on him had weakened enough for him to break the spell himself, and once he did he was running in her direction as fast as he could. He transformed into his cat form, knowing he could run faster that way, and left his fish to continue burning over the fire. He tried to track her brainwaves, but she had blocked him off, so now he had to try and pick up her scent. That part wasn't too hard, since she was the only one who smelled like a frozen, dead animal. He really didn't like the smell, but it became handy once she began to block him out so he couldn't trace her. At first he couldn't tell it apart from some of the other scents around him because it was so weak. However, as he unwittingly got closer to her, he finally picked up her scent. He followed the scent slowly at first, being careful not to lose it, but once it was strong enough, he ran. What he ran into filled him with dismay. He had run into a berry bush, which was sweet with ripening fruits. Her scent had lead him to it, but once he got there it disappeared.

"Damnit, Outai," he swore to himself, "you sure aren't making this easy. Where did you go?"

At first it confused the hell out of him. Her scent lead up to the bush, then disappeared. He thought about it, and wondered if she hadn't picked some of the berries and smeared them on herself to bury her natural scent, but there had been no evidence of that around the bush. At least, not at first glance. As he thought more, he realized she could be behind the bush, and realized that this fact had been made obvious by her foot prints leading through the bush, leaving a trail of squished berries and a couple of frozen spots where moisture had leaked through her gloves. He peeked cautiously behind the bush, only to see a cliff side, and at first thought she had climbed it. However, her scent didn't lead upwards, so he walked into the bush, and what he saw both astounded and sickened him. Behind the bush was a small cave - a dugout really - no bigger than a hiding place for a child. Curled up on the ground inside this little cave was Outai. The ground around her reeked of her blood, which he never could get used to seeing or smelling. To save his nose, he changed back into his humanoid form, but had to choke back a sob. He could understand why she would do such a thing - though he hated the understanding. Still, he could feel his heart breaking, in spite of the knowledge that she would wake up in a few hours anyway. He knew she couldn't stay dead, and was not concerned about that, but it still hurt him to know end to see her like that, to know she had taken her own life and tried to leave him behind. He understood her sorrow more than she would let herself believe, but still could not fathom why she would do such a stupid thing, especially knowing that she couldn't die anyway. Just what was she trying to prove?

It wasn't easy, considering the cramped crawl space, and even less so with the bush he was crushing behind him, but he somehow managed to drag her out of the crawl space by her arms. His hands slipped a few times from the blood that was still oozing out of her wrists, and a couple times he had to stop and wipe tears from his eyes, smearing her blood on his face in the process. However, once she was free it was much easier to carry her. He leaned Outai up against a tree, then knelt down in front of her, his back facing her. Wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her against his back - a motion which would otherwise thrilled him, and something he would have otherwise enjoyed if it weren't for the fact she was dead again, and this time by her own hand - he managed to scoop his arms under her knees and hold them around his waist, carrying her piggy back style. She was heavy, so it wasn't easy, but he figured it was good training anyway. Once he reached the campfire, dismayed but not surprised to find his supper burned to coal, he lay her down by the fire so he could see what he was doing. He looked around for something to tie up her wrists until her body could heal on it's own, but all he could find was his own shirt, which was already badly stained with her blood.

"Sorry, Outai," he said to the dead girl, "but I'm going to have to borrow some of your beloved cape."

Mooney tore two long, narrow strips of cloth from the bottom hem of her cape, knowing that she would be mad over it. She would just have to deal with it, especially after saying all those things and then killing herself. He pinched the two sides of the wounds together, and wrapped them carefully so that the sides would not separate. After he was all done bandaging her wrists, he found himself exhausted. They had done a lot of walking, which had already tired him out. Having such an argument, finding her dead, and having to drag her back to camp and completely drained him, both physically and emotionally. Figuring she wouldn't wake up for some time anyway, he lay next to her and did something he had wanted to do for a long time - he removed her mask and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Her body was cold and stiff against his, but he didn't care. After finding her dead like that and enduring her sharp words, he figured he deserved something a little comforting.

"Damn fool," he said sleepily as unconsciousness nibbled at him, pulling him towards the sweet satisfaction of sleep, "Don't you know...I...love..."

Before he could finish, though, he was fast asleep.


	16. Awaken

The first thing to rouse Outai into waking up was not a feeling of peace, nor was it a bright light at the end of a tunnel. She did not see her family waiting for her, or any pearly gates as she had hoped and longed for. Instead, she saw only darkness. Her whole body felt like lead, and just as unmovable. But it was not the darkness or the stiffness or heaviness of her limbs that woke her. It was the smell of a fish cooking over a fire. Her first thought was that she had fallen asleep while cooking Mooney's supper, and wanted to get up to make sure it wasn't burning, but she couldn't move. Then she remembered what had really happened the night before. She had instigated a fight with her dear friend in effort to make him hate her, and then had tried to kill herself. Seeing as she did not see heaven, but instead saw nothing and smelled only fish, damp earth, and plants around her, she knew that she had either failed, or had died but once again could not stay dead. She could not feel her mask on her face, and after a moment brought a hand to her face, to see if it really was there. The mask was indeed gone, and lying on the ground next to her head. After a moment's effort, she finally managed to open her eyes, though she remained lying down. At first the bright morning sunshine after a day of rain the day before was blinding, but as her eyes adjusted she saw Mooney sitting by a crackling fire, watching his breakfast cook. His eyes were serious, and looked hollow, like he hadn't slept well. After sensing movement, he turned to face her, but didn't smile.

"Oh, it's about time you woke up." he said blandly. Really he was just trying to mask the anguish inside so she wouldn't see it. He wanted badly to continue crying, to ask her why she tried to leave him behind - even though he knew the answer - or to at least hug her, but he couldn't do any of those things.

"I...failed?" Outai wondered out loud.

"No," he said, his voice unwavering, "You succeeded, but I think you forgot that you can't stay dead."

"It was worth a try." she said calmly. It was that phrase, so selfish and depressing, that sent him over the edge.

"Was it really?" Mooney said quietly, "Did you even think what I might think about you trying to take the cowards way out? Did you ever think that maybe our friendship was too strong for you to destroy, no matter what words you used? Or was I really that easy to throw away?"

Mooney's eyes brimmed with tears, and for some reason, Outai couldn't stand that sight. She had always seen him as chipper and happy, no matter how depressing she was. She never knew, and still did not, that his happiness came from being around her. She had never once read his mind, figuring it was too rude, but even if she had he was careful to lock those thoughts up safely so no one but himself could get to it.

"What does it matter to you?" she said calmly, hoping she could still push him away. "We're not friends, remember? I...don't want you as a friend..."

"You're lying..." Mooney said huskily, choking back another sob, "Your eyebrow twitched just now. That only happens when you're lying. Plus your brainwaves give you away."

Outai couldn't say any more. She knew she had been found out, and her current state was too weak for her to cover up her brain waves any more. However, she still couldn't tell him why.

"Do you really think you are alone?" Mooney continued his voice cracking a bit, "Your name says it, but you know you're not. Do you really think you are the only one hurting? That you are the only immortal one who cannot embrace the sweet kiss of death? Do you really think you're the only one missing someone?"

Outai couldn't say anything. She realized her actions were incredibly selfish, but at the same time she knew she would just keep trying until she met with success and her family.

"Let me tell you something. Before that meteor destroyed everything, I had a wonderful fiancee that I was about to marry. When that thing hit, she was one of the first ones poisoned. She came at me, and tried to kill me. Instead, I was the one who killed her, with my bare hands. Then your mother put me in charge of protecting you, which I did gladly. But the first time I failed to protect you and found you dead with your son in your arms and your husband dead at the door with his head two feet away from his body, I freaked. I went to Holy to ask why it hadn't tried to protect you as well, but when I got no answer, I slit my own throat. When I woke up, I seriously considered doing it again to see if maybe I would really die, or stay dead, but realized that there was a reason I was still alive. It was because you were still alive, that my business wasn't done yet. Don't you think your business isn't done yet?"

Now Outai really felt bad. She knew he would be hurt over her words, but she had figured he would hate her, and wouldn't mind if she died again. What she hadn't figured on was the bond he'd formed with her in all the time he spent protecting her, nor had she counted on his past and his feelings.

"I'm...sorry..." she whispered, not knowing what else to say. "Do you hate me now?"

"Idiot!" he practically screamed at her as tears streamed down his face, "Didn't I just tell you? Our friendship is too strong for you to destroy, no matter how hard you try. I'm REALLY pissed off at you right now, but I don't hate you. I just want to know...why wouldn't you talk to me? Why did you close me off like that?"

"I...didn't want you to know..."

"A bit fucking late for that!"

Outai couldn't stand the look of pain on his face, or the sound of it in his voice. She couldn't stand the soft hitches she could hear in Mooney's breath, signifying soft sobbing as he sat next to the fire and buried his face into his knees, which he had hugged to his chest. She felt like crying now, but knew she couldn't - yet another reason she wanted to remain dead. However, she was surprised to find that tears, though ice cold and frozen by the time they were half way down her cheek, began to roll down her face.

"Please don't cry..." she whispered.

"Fuck you..." Mooney said, his voice thick and husky with tears, "After what you did, I can cry if I want..."

"It doesn't suit you my friend..."

At first Mooney had almost missed it. He even questioned if he had heard it. But upon reading her mind to see what she had really said, he knew he had heard correctly. Even after their argument with her trying to get him to hate her, she still called him her friend. This perked him up a bit, and he knew she was right. He wasn't usually the depressed type. That was her job.

"You're too chipper and upbeat to be crying." she continued softly, her voice now cracking.

"Yeah, well..." he said in his own defense, "As depressed as I see you get, I don't see you shedding tears or crying. Except right now, and it's about fucking time."

Mooney knew she wouldn't want to lie like that all day. She hated it. She had to at least be sitting up so she could see more around her, even though she wouldn't be able to do anything for a few hours just yet. So, he crawled over to her and carefully lifted her to a sitting position. He wanted to lean her against himself and hold her there, under the pretense of holding her up, but there was a tree almost directly behind him, and he knew that such an excuse would not fly. Cursing himself inwardly for placing her near a tree, he carefully dragged her back a few feet and rested her body against the trunk of it.

"Thank you..." she said softly.

"Yeah, well, I know you don't like to lie like that for too long."

"If you know that much, then why didn't you figure out what I was up to?"

"I kind of figured you were heading that way, but I didn't want to believe it, and when I tried to help, you locked me out. There wasn't much I could do."

By that time his fish was done, and already halfway eaten. Usually once it was done, it was in his gut, but emotion and crying are incredibly good appetite killers. Mooney only nibbled little snippets off of the cooked carcass in little bits and not because he was hungry, but because he knew that his body would eventually need nutrition. Seeing Mooney just pick at the fish told Outai she had really hurt him. He always gobbled it down like it was going out of fashion, and often times would ask for more. It pained her to see him like this, and she knew she was the cause of it. Fresh tears began to spill and freeze down her face.

"What's wrong?" Mooney ask, expecting for her to brush him aside and say it was nothing. However, to his surprise, that wasn't the answer this time.

"I'm such a failure..." she whimpered, "I...failed to protect our planet...and then my family...and now I've hurt the only friend I've had since, the only person left from a home I don't remember..."

"Is that why you've been so upset? Are you really blaming yourself for something you know you had no control over?" Mooney said, a bit irritated with her still, "I told you, you were too young to train, and you did your best to protect your son. Remember, he and your husband weren't the only ones that died. You gave your life to save his, or try to. That's more than any kid could ever ask their parents to do. You gotta stop beating yourself up over that already, it's not doing any good."

"I know...but I can't help..."

"Yes, you can." he interrupted, absent mindedly swallowing the rest of the fish practically whole, "You know it's not your fault, that you couldn't have done anything more than what you did. So stop believing otherwise and indulging in your own sick depression."

"But I still hurt you..."

"Yeah, you did. You hurt me really badly. And if you ever do anything like that again, I'll kill you myself, and then follow you, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it..." Outai said quietly. "You shouldn't pick at your fish like that, though. Flies will get to it before you do." she said, now trying to throw in a little joke, glad to see him getting back to his normal self.

Mooney looked at the stick that his fish had been on, and saw that the fish was gone. He knew flies couldn't consume half of a fish in less than a minute and realized he had practically swallowed the rest of it whole. He wasn't sure why, but it somehow struck him funny, and he burst out laughing like a maniac. Even Outai managed to giggle a little at his seemingly crazed outburst of laughter.

"I got you!" she said teasingly.

"Yes, you did. That's Outai: one and Mooney: three bajillion!"


	17. Visions of Home

The rest of that evening had gone as usual, with Mooney turning into his cat form and curling up in Outai's lap as he slept. It was the same thing as every night, and it was the closest he was going to get to her. Outai didn't mind, as she had a tendency to think he was a normal cat whenever he was in his cat form, even though she knew better. Still, to her he was like a big brother, so she didn't mind him turning into a cat and curling up in her lap at night to sleep. It was the least she could do for him after all the times she had hurt him and all the times he had to protect her.

Ever being the early riser, Mooney woke up and stretched just as dawn broke over the mountainous horizon. What had started in shades of dark blue and black quickly dissipated to fiery shades of purple, red, orange and yellow. Outai liked watching the sun rise, especially when the only times she could sleep where when she were dead or recovering, and otherwise had to spend the dark nights awake and fairly alone. Watching the dawn was like watching her fears and anxieties of the dark get burned away by the rising sun. Mooney was also fond of such sunrises, which explained how and why he could rise so early, and still remain perky during the day.

"Another beautiful morning." Mooney commented, secretly knowing to himself that it wasn't just the sunrise that he was talking about.

"It is." Outai agreed, completely oblivious.

All during the night before, something had nagged at her mind. All this time she had been blaming herself for the destruction of a world she did not remember. She would have at least liked to have one memory of her parents or of their world, but she didn't have that, and she couldn't help but wonder why. She figured she would ask Mooney when he woke up, and now that he was awake, she could ask. However, before she could, Mooney had seen the faraway look in her eyes again as she blankly watched the sun rise over the emerald green hills and mountains. Normally at sunrise her eyes seemed to sparkle and were full of life. It was the only time during the day that they were like that, before she sunk into a deep depression again.

"What's up?" Mooney ask, cocking his little kitty head to one side cutely, "And if you say it's 'nothing' again I swear to Holy I'll get pissed at you again." Mooney said, shaking her from her thoughts. He had expected her to say 'nothing' again anyway, but was surprised when she didn't.

"Mooney," she said, still gazing at the sunrise with those faraway eyes, "why don't I remember our home?"

Mooney was taken aback. She had long since regained all of her memories, not just those of her family. She even remembered her earthly mother telling her of the time she had colic and a cat had come to comfort her. It was a story that made Mooney smile, though he hadn't really explained that it was him. However, for a moment he couldn't see why she wouldn't remember their slice of heaven, their home from far away. It took a moment of thinking before he finally remembered himself what happened.

"Two things, really." Mooney said, stretching again in her lap, "First of all, when we crash landed on this planet, you sustained a mild concussion, and it never got treated. The farmer couple that took you in didn't know you had a concussion, so they couldn't treat it. Not like they knew how to anyway."

Outai nodded, remembering stories her father told her later of how she had been found. Only, in his words she had been abandoned in some sort of weird basket. I guess she figured that this 'basket' was whatever it was she got to this planet in.

"What's the second thing?" she asked quietly.

"You were too young." Mooney said, his voice low. Recalling such memories was painful for him. He didn't like to remember things like that, and made an effort not to, but right now it couldn't be helped. She didn't even remember herself what happened, and she needed to know. "At the time you were one earth year old, though on our planet our years are much longer than that. For human children, long term memory doesn't take hold until the child is at least four years of age. On our planet, the child would be a little over a year of age, but comparing the two it would be equivalent, since our year was three times an earth year, give or take. Either way, you were far too young to remember anything. And before you even think it, which I know you will, don't feel bad for not remembering your home. Like I said, you were too young."

"You know me too well." Outai said with a bit of a smirk, "Sometimes it's almost creepy."

"Hey, I can't help it. We come from a planet of telepaths, plus I've been protecting you since we came here, so I know all about you."

"Still, I wish I could have some memories of our home..."

"Do you want a couple of mine? The good ones I mean." Mooney offered. "I've been working on my illusions, and they're pretty good. All that really needs work is the smells, but other than that the memories I can share with you should be pretty accurate and easy to do."

"That would be great. I would at least like to know what my parents looked like."

Outai no sooner spoke than Mooney's little cat eyes began to glow brightly. She knew he was up to something, and what that 'something' was that he was up to. Soon they were completely surrounded in an illusion he had set up. What was once a sprawling forest that was cool and damp and smelled sweetly of plant life was now a small stone building set in the middle of a beautiful field of flowers. These flowers carpeted the ground in all the colors of the rainbow, and sweetly perfumed the air around them. The sun above them was warm, and the only clouds were a few wispy ones that floated about lazily. The stone building was alabaster, or looked like it, and had been exquisitely carved. There were several pillars holding up a single, large stone ceiling, and the space of the building could have easily fit fifty people with room to spare. At the moment it was empty, save for a woman in a flowing white robe with raven colored hair and deep blue eyes. This woman was cradling a baby in her arms, not yet old enough to stand or walk on it's own. The child was sleeping, and the woman was gazing down on it affectionately. Behind the woman was a single pillar, with a crystal set on top of it that glowed a bright white. This light had such a peaceful aura about it that Outai could scarcely believe it. From the left a man dressed in a powder blue, regal looking robe with black hair approached the woman, his deep green eyes glittering and full of joy. He knelt down next to the woman and softly kissed her and the infant on the head.

"How's our little bundle of joy?" he asked quietly, careful not to wake the child.

"Sleeping like a rock." the woman replied, smiling up at her husband. "She's had a big day of playing in the flowers."

The man chuckled softly and kissed his wife, this time on the mouth. "She seems to like them a lot. Fitting, since both you and her seem to teach those flowers how to be beautiful."

Suddenly, a young man of about seventeen approached them. He looked just like Moonstar with his raven colored hair, soft black ears, deep blue eyes, and his soft black tail, but he was dressed in what looked like it might have been a military uniform. The man in the blue robe turned and smiled at him, greeting him warmly.

"General Moonstar! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Aw, come on, Lord Cephius." the boy said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, "You of all people know you don't have to call me by my formal name."

"Well, it's deserved. You may be our youngest military leader, but you're also the most intelligent and talented one we have."

The boy began to flush bright red. He wasn't used to all this praise. He pulled a little stuffed animal from a bag that had been strapped around his shoulder and carefully approached the woman and the sleeping child. He placed the little stuffed animal next to the child, who then greedily took it into her sleeping arms and seemed to cuddle it.

"I come bearing a gift for the little princess." he said sheepishly.

"I think she likes it." the woman said, smiling up at the young man. "You treat her like she's you're little sister. It is good to see."

"Thank you, Lady Ara. She's beautiful, and it looks like she'll make you two proud."

"Now who's flattering who?" the woman said playfully.

The boy burst out laughing sheepishly, knowing he had been caught. This in turn made the man and woman laugh, causing the infant to wake up. At first she fussed at being rudely awakened from her peaceful nap, but when she saw everyone smiling and laughing she just had to join in.

"Ah, ya caught me! Good morning, little princess!"

The little infant cooed at the boy, smiling and laughing all the while, as if to thank him for the new toy.

"I think that's her way of saying thank you." the woman said, still smiling and laughing.

"She should thank Cassey, since Cassey is the one that made the toy."

The illusion ended there, however, leaving Outai to wonder if she should ask Mooney to continue the illusion. It was so peaceful and happy that it was contagious, and she couldn't help but feel happy just watching it, knowing that her parents loved her so much. Now that the illusion was gone, she felt a sense of emptiness and sadness, knowing that all of that was gone now and she had been powerless to stop it.

Mooney hadn't been sure if showing her such a happy memory was a good idea. Yeah, it was a happy memory, but once he was done playing it, would she feel happy to see her parents and how much they loved her, or would she feel distraught that all of that was gone and she had failed to protect it? He knew more likely than not it would be both, and was prepared to do or say anything to keep her safe just in case. He watched as a tear escaped the confines of her eyes and streamed down her face before freezing and dropping on the ground as a hail stone.

"I'm so-" he started to apologize, but was cut off.

"Don't be. I got to see my parents. That's enough for me. And you even knew me as a baby and gave me a toy. Their names were Ara and Cephius, correct? I'll remember those names. But why did you refer to me as 'little princess'?"

"Being the daughter of a priest and priestess means that genetically you would have been a priestess anyway, though no one expected you to be so strong in only your first earth year of life. However, you were so young we couldn't teach you how to harness and use that power. But I digress. I called you 'little princess' because, though you were technically a priestess and the two sound similar, you really did seem like a little princess. Your parents were the strongest of the priests and priestesses, so they were the most revered, almost like a king and queen. So, calling you 'little princess' came naturally."

What Outai did next was the most surprising thing she had ever done while Mooney was around. She scooped his little cat body into her arms and held him to her chest. She curled up into a fetal position while holding him like this, and her body began to shake as it was racked with silent tears. She wasn't normally the type to cry, but he could sense that right now she needed it. He could sense that her mind was in a jumble, both happy at seeing such a happy memory, and sad that it was later destroyed due to her inexperience. Besides all that, he had never been this close to her, and couldn't honestly say that he didn't like it. Her chest was surprisingly soft for being frozen, like ice cold pillows on a blistering hot day. Such close proximity to her female anatomy made him blush bright red, and she could feel his little body tense up in her arms, but she didn't release him. Right now she needed to hug someone and let go of all the silent tears she had held back for so long. Sensing this, Mooney relaxed a bit, glad that he could be the one for her to hug and release on. He resigned himself to the position he was so clearly stuck in and rested himself against her frigid body. Though she didn't say anything, she didn't need to. Her mind was open for the first time in a long time, at least willingly, and he had read it all. He was just glad she had finally opened up to him.

A/N: So yeah...been busy. I was thinking of double updating today, but that only leaves one chapter, so I will TRIPLE UPDATE! That's right! You get to see the end of the story a day early! You're welcome. ;D


	18. The Mission Begins

When Outai awoke, she found a stuffed cat enveloped in her arms where Mooney had been. She looked around a bit trying to remember what was going on, before she remembered what had happened. Mooney showed her one of his memories of their world, and the combined joy of knowing her parents names and faces and sadness of knowing that such a beautiful and happy world was destroyed and she had failed to keep it from being destroyed had caused her to cry until she fell asleep. She even remembered holding Mooney to her body tightly as a source of comfort in the process. Seeing the stuffed cat in her arms, she figured he had worked his way loose, and put that in his place. The poor thing was tattered and looked well worn, but also well loved. The black velvety cloth was bald in a few spots where it was loved most, and there was a minor tear in the seam. That would be easy enough to fix. There was a pinkish button loosely sewn on for the nose, but the most striking part of it was the tiger's eye stones that were sewn into the head for eyes. They were unlike any she had seen. They seemed to almost glow with warmth in a bright yellow hue. Outai gently ran her thumbs over the eyes, one of which was about to fall off, and wondered where the stuffed cat had come from, and where the eyes had come from. She sat up and leaned against a tree that was behind her. She knew Mooney was somewhere nearby. She could sense his mind and it was close.

"Funny, I didn't know you could turn into a stuffed toy." she said, almost as though she were speaking to the stuffed toy in her arms.

"Well, you looked so comfortable like that. I couldn't very well leave you without something to cuddle up with." came a voice from behind. It was Mooney's, and he was approaching with more wood for the camp fire, as well as a few fish for himself. His face wasn't exactly smiling like it usually was, but his eyes seemed to sparkle and dance like she had never seen before.

"Have I ever told you that you have a really bad poker face?"

Mooney's near-scowl softened into a small, sad grin when she said that. He couldn't help it. He was still sad about what she had done, but he couldn't help but be thrilled about the way she had embraced him like that not too long ago. He set the wood down, tossing some into the slowly dying fire, and set up the fish on the make-shift spit.

"Have I ever told you I can't stay mad at you?"

"Not that I recall, but I kind of figured as much. So, where did this thing come from?"

"You should recognize it from what I showed you earlier. It's yours, after all."

"So this is the stuffed animal you gave me as a baby? It looks like it was really loved."

"Are you kidding? You pitched a royal fit if anyone dared touch it but you!" Mooney said, laughing at the memory. "Do you still like it?"

"Yes, thank you. The eyes are beautiful. Where did they come from?"

"There are, or were, mountains in the Elemental country that produced those stones. You couldn't find them anywhere else. They were extremely useful, and not just for aesthetic purposes. Because of this they were mined a lot, and even more rare than diamonds or titanium here. However, since I was born and grew up in the Elemental country, I found some lying around and polished them up when I was a boy and kept them as my treasure. When you were born, my bygone fiancee decided to make you that cat. It was my idea for the eyes."

"I know it's late to say this now, but I thank her and you for this."

"Yeah, well, take care of that thing. It was hell bringing it with me right as the world was ending, and someone very special made it." Mooney said, returning to his somber attitude.

"I will. I'll need to get a needle and some thread to stitch up the rip in the seam, though, and to re-attach this eye and the nose."

"I'll put that on the list of supplies." Mooney said, almost sarcastically.

Outai chose to ignore the sarcasm, and curled up once more. She held her knees to her chest, with only the stuffed cat in between her knees and her chest. She liked the comfort it brought, and it kind of reminded her of Mooney. Given the situation, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe the way she had embraced him not too long ago had offended him, that maybe now he hated her. For some reason, this thought made her sad.

"I don't hate you, and you didn't offend me." Mooney said as he poked at the waning fire, trying to bring it to life again without having to add a little flame himself. "Actually, I'm glad you opened your mind up again, and that you would trust me enough to think of me as a means of comfort."

"Then why do you seem upset? Your face says you're upset, your eyes say that you're elated, and I can't even tell what is going on with your brain waves."

"I've got a lot going on in my head right now that I need to sort out."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not? You won't let me get away with not telling you, but you won't tell me. I've never known you to be such a hypocrite."

"Ouch." Mooney said, grimacing a bit, "Such sharp words! Maybe I don't want to tell you because it involves you."

Outai was angry now and a bit hurt. She didn't want to tell him things, but he made her tell him anyway. Now he wasn't willing to tell her things she wants to know? What kind of justice was that. She stood and glared at him in the eye, wishing she could shoot daggers out of her eyes without going blind.

"Well, maybe I didn't want to tell you stuff before either, but you made me tell you anyway! Besides, if it involves me, then I deserve to know!"

Mooney sighed to himself and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew she was right, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. It's not like he wanted these feelings for her. He wanted to be like her big brother. He knew that nothing could happen between them. He knew she was still too stuck on her own family and too hurt to love him back. But at the same time, he didn't want to lose her completely, and he knew that if he told her how he felt, then he would.

"I just..." he said, trying to think of what he could say to make her stop asking without losing her, "I...can't tell you."

"And why not?" she asked, practically screaming.

"I...don't want...to lose you again..."

There. He said it. Or almost said it. As it was that was encroaching on very dangerous territory. He knew he had likely said too much now, that she would figure it out, and could only wait for her to tell him off and run away, or tell him that he couldn't be around her any more.

But she didn't. She knew he cared about her like a brother would, so when he said he didn't want to lose her again, she thought he meant that he didn't want to lose his little sister again. She had no idea what he really meant.

"Hey, I don't think you're getting rid of me that easily." she said, rolling her eyes. She was still angry at him for not telling her whatever it was he was thinking, but she figured that, since his job was to protect her, then maybe he remained silent to protect her. "I'm immortal, remember?"

Mooney couldn't help but giggle a little bit. She obviously didn't get it, and he was glad. He had forgotten that, when it came to subtle hints of love, she was completely oblivious. She was sharp enough to make a razor look dull, but in that area she could teach a spoon to be blunt. It felt good to laugh again, too. He'd been so worried about her lately, that he hadn't laughed as much as usual, and he missed it.

Mooney's laughter was a relief to Outai as well. She couldn't stand to see him so serious all the time like that. He was always too laid back and playful to be serious for too long, unless it came to protecting her. This brought her so much relief, that she, too began to laugh a bit, much to Mooney's delight. He hadn't heard her laugh since she and her family were alive, and it worried him.

"So," Outai said after several minutes of laughing and finally calming down enough to talk, "where do we go from here? We have all of eternity and nothing to do."

"Ironic, considering that to those who are mortal it's the other way around." Mooney said, barely bringing himself under control.

"I guess so."

"Well, you've got that stone, and neither of us can use it. So, why don't we find someone to give it to."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"I never said we'd just give it to some poor schmo on the street. We'll have to look around and find someone who can use that thing efficiently and know what they are doing. And of course, we'll have to make sure that they won't use it for evil purposes or that having the stone will turn their intentions evil."

"Hm, I like how you think. In that memory you showed me, my parents said you were the smartest right? I guess they were right. How about this: We look around for those who are strong with this planet's magic that they call alchemy, and know exactly what they are doing, inside and out. People like that are extremely rare, so that will bring down the list quite a bit. We find the strongest, most intelligent one, and test them both for skill in alchemy, and for purity and strength of heart and mind, to make sure they have no evil intentions and will not be tainted by greed to have their intentions made evil."

"Hey, you're pretty sharp too, you know that? I like that idea." Mooney said as he poked at one of the fish to see if it was done. "So, if they don't check out, what do you suppose we should do?"

"Wait until another prodigy comes along and test them. That could take many years in between, though. But, it's not like we have to worry about dying before then or anything. During the time we test them - since it will take a long time to test their character - we can protect them. Or at least, I can. You're busy enough protecting me, so I won't ask you to protect them, too. If they don't check out and there's no one else, we can protect them until they die of natural causes and then move on."

"That will be a hard road to take. As the years pass, they will realize you haven't aged, or may even see you die and come back to life. They could hate or fear you for that, and run away. Even if they don't, you'd still watch them die of something you can't protect them from. Are you sure you can handle that?"

"With a friend like you at my side to help me, I think I can."


End file.
